When the curtain first rose on the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society it was not on a stage, but in the long, elegant drawing room at Newstead. It was there, in 1944, that a small group of people first gathered for musical and theatrical evenings which would evolve into the society (BMDS). At that time, Newstead was the Harbour Road home of the late Stella Halsall, acknowledged as the official founder of the society. Freda Olivey who, along with former BMDS singer Bea Trimingham, lays claim to being one of the longest-standing members of the Society, recalls those early times. "Newstead had this wonderful room where the raised entrance hall and two rooms on either side formed a natural stage. There was a grand piano, and people would perform on this raised dais in the middle, with the audience seated on each side. It was the most perfect setting!'' From those informal, if elegant beginnings, BMDS was to venture rather further abroad, spending the next 30 years or so in the less salubrious settings of church halls, school halls and even military halls, in their crusade to make the theatrical arts a part of the Bermudian experience. This has surely been achieved. Even a cursory glance at the long list of productions makes impressive reading: Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, modern classics by such giants as Tennessee Williams and Tom Stoppard, bedroom farces, murder-mysteries, pantomimes, old-time music hall, revues, and lavish musicals such as My Fair Lady, Godspell and Oliver have brought about a remarkable transformation of the performing arts scene in Bermuda. One of the fascinating aspects of the performing arts in general, and BMDS in particular, is that over the past 50 years, a wide range of Bermudians from all backgrounds, have continued to meet as equals in dingy rehearsal rooms or under the bright lights of an exuberant `after the show' party. Like all societies of its kind, progress and achievements have, as one member puts it, "waxed and waned''. Few would disagree, however, that, over the years BMDS has drummed up a roll-call of musical and thespian honours that would be envied in any country, with some spectacular milestones to distinguish it from its amateur counterparts elsewhere. Not least of these was the 1992 visit by the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, who sat in on (and, by all accounts, hugely enjoyed) a rehearsal of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at Daylesford, staying on to meet the cast and crew afterwards. Another auspicious event took place in 1977 when famed director Harold French staged The Winslow Boy. This was the hit play written by his old friend, Sir Terence Rattigan, one of Bermuda's most famous residents who wrote many of his plays in his Knapton Hill home. Another memorable occasion was the evening in 1980 when two of the latest Knights of the British theatre, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice came to see the BMDS version of their smash hit, Jesus Christ Superstar, performed with the blessing of theatre impresario Robert Stigwood in one of the first productions by an amateur cast. It is probably no coincidence that BMDS's solid theatrical roots go back to the 1950s and 60s when Don and Elsbeth Gibson brought international stars of the stage and screen to perform at the old Bermudiana Hotel. Their innate professionalism and devotion to the cause of theatre (and BMDS) culminated in memorable performances in Gin Game and, in 1983, not long before Don's death, with the bitter-sweet On Golden Pond. Initially composed of two more or less separate groups called the Dramatic Circle and the Music Makers Circle, the BMDS gradually amalgamated their efforts. In the beginning, the emphasis tended more toward music than drama, with some ambitious performances presented by local musicians. In the first eight years alone, the Society was instrumental in staging an average of 20 local and international concerts a year, many of them featuring world-famous artists. Just a few of the names conquering these shores under BMDS sponsorship included such luminaries as violinist Efrem Zimbalist, the brilliant Canadian tenor Jon Vickers, who has since made his home on the Island, pianist Moura Lympany, cellist Paul Tortelier and tenor Richard Lewis. The climax of the 1952 musical season was the singing of Faure's Requiem and it marked the beginnings of what eventually became the BMDS choir. In one of the `waning' periods of the Society during the mid-'80s, choral activities lapsed -a lapse that was to last an entire decade. But thanks largely to the efforts of musician Gaynor Gallant, another phoenix has arisen in this anniversary year in the shape of a revitalised BMDS choir. In March, she directed the first in a series of projected regular concerts. In 1953, music and drama merged to produce a version of Amahl and the Night Visitors, an event that also marked the first public presentation of the Society, and the beginning of a series of Christmas plays staged at the old Trinity Hall in Hamilton. Another `home' was a ten-year stretch at Cavendish Hall where some excellent workshop productions alternated with more lavish shows at City Hall. The Armoury Building on Reid Street was also used for several years until the purchase in 1972 of Daylesford, a dilapidated old residence by that name on the corner of Dundonald and Washington Streets.

After three years of feverish fund-raising and hard physical work by members, the theatre opened and was applauded for its free-form design. There were also rehearsal and meeting rooms, offices and kitchen facilities. Among the outstanding early Daylesford productions were Kennedy's Children and Yeats' Cuchulain plays. Andrew Trimingham, responsible for the set designs of several benchmark BMDS productions including The Tempest and My Fair Lady, was a member of the Daylesford design committee which, he says, specifically planned the new building as an experimental, versatile theatre embracing theatre-in-the-round, and large enough to accommodate rehearsals for major City Hall shows with scenery in place. Later, amidst some controversy, fixed seating was installed. Although essentially an amateur society, BMDS has been remarkably fortunate in attracting a succession of unusually talented people.

Mr. Lee-Emery is especially proud of an aspect of their activities that is sometimes taken rather for granted. "Since we took on Daylesford, we have looked after the entire operation ourselves. We don't employ anyone to run it, or to deal with things like maintenance and repairs. We are able to do that precisely because we have such a huge mix of people to draw on.'' It is through the enthusiasm of their members that Daylesford is also able to offer a wide variety of social events, such as parties, weekly dinners, car-rallies and sing-alongs. (By Patricia Calnan -- extracted from the May 1995 issue of RG Magazine) PHOTO EARLIER DAYS -- Cinderella was staged by BMDS starring (from left) Jan Crighton and Carol Priscott in 1970.

ON STAGE -- Tiger at the Gates was performed by the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society in 1965.