Did you know that you can support UMGASS while shopping? FUMGASS has set up community fundraising projects through the following retailers: Amazon Amazon has a program called AmazonSmile, in which a portion of your purchase will go to the non-profit of your choice (we hope that your choice is FUMGASS!) To get started, go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and log into your Amazon account. You’ll be prompted to search for an organization to support. Search for “Friends of the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society” then select us as your target organization. Then when you shop on Amazon in the future, remember to go to https://smile.amazon.com/ before you check out, so that your purchases will qualify. If you’re already enrolled in the AmazonSmile program and would like to change your target organization to FUMGASS, you can find that option under “Account & Lists.” For more information, go to About Amazon Smile. Kroger Through the Kroger Community Rewards program, you can connect your Kroger rewards loyalty card to the non-profit organization of your choice. When you use your rewards card (or enter your phone number) at checkout, Kroger will donate a portion of your purchase to that organization. To link your Kroger rewards card to FUMGASS, log into your Kroger account. To find FUMGASS, you can search for our organization number (PK265) or for the organization name (Friends of the UofM Gilbert and Sullivan Society). Once you’ve selected FUMGASS, it will be listed on the Community Rewards tab of your Kroger account. Many thanks to FUMGASS Treasurer Ali Roselle for getting these programs set up!

FUMGASS has decided to sponsor several active UMGASSers to go to the 29th International G&S Festival in Buxton, UK to participate in Savoynet Performing Group's production of Ruddigore on August 10, 2023. The production will be directed by FUMGASS Board Member Mitch Gillett. Aside from Mitch, there are several other UMGASSers involved in key leadership roles: Marisa Green (2021 virtual Trial by Jury musical director) is co-producing and the current Savoynet President is Marc Shepherd (former UMGASS President). Background The International G&S Festival is a 2-week long celebration of G&S held in late summer every year in Buxton, UK. Every day & night of the festival, there are performances by amateur, academic "uni-fest," youth & professional groups (including the English National Company, modern-day equivalent of D'Oyly Carte) as well as cabarets, concerts, lectures, exhibits and opportunities to engage with other G&S-o-philes from around the globe. The Savoynet Performing Group is a high-quality amateur group adjacent to the Savoynet G&S internet community that performs annually at the festival and casts (via video submissions) the best G&S talent from all over the world. Participants are expected to show up prepared and ready to stage a full production (full costumes, sets, orchestra) the following week. It will be performed for one night only in the Buxton Opera House in Buxton, UK. Mission FUMGASS believes that providing an opportunity for UMGASSers to attend the festival will: Encourage UMGASSers to engage in the broader G&S community and learn more about the genre, especially in a uniquely supportive year when they can connect with many UMGASS alums, such as those mentioned above Give UMGASS recognition in the broader G&S worldwide community and more presence at the international festival, perhaps enabling future opportunities to perform as UMGASS in the "uni-fest" or amateur festival directly at a later date Incentivize UM students and other new members to join the UMGASS community and encourage current members to stay involved in UMGASS by providing them with the opportunity to participate in a high-quality performance and travel experience that they might not otherwise be able to do on their own Promote goodwill among UMGASS alums and FUMGASS donors by using contributions to invest in future generations of UMGASSers, engage UMGASS in the broader community and promote learning about the G&S genre Requirements We will provide funds to reimburse expenses such as airfare, lodging & production fees to selected individuals provided they meet the following requirements: Become a member of the Savoynet online community (Google Groups or Facebook) in order to keep abreast of the latest news on the production. Have been accepted into the cast or crew of 2023 Savoynet Performing Group's production of Ruddigore, directed by FUMGASS Board member Mitch Gillett. For more information about principal auditions and expressions of interest for the ensemble, please see the Savoynet Performing Group Facebook page. They have participated in an UMGASS production or been a board member within the last 3 years (since 2019). If they will become an active member during the Spring 2023 UMGASS show, that will also qualify, but their expenses will not be covered if they do not then complete that Spring 2023 participation. This will be their first time attending the International G&S Festival They must submit an application by December 3, 2022 including: Statement of demonstrated ongoing, active and future commitment to UMGASS and Gilbert & Sullivan Statement of financial need Intent to document their experiences (i.e. in UMGASS social media or newsletters) and promote it to other UMGASSers University of Michigan students will receive additional consideration. The FUMGASS Board committee will determine who will receive funds based on its review of the applications. The application will be due as cast/crew submissions are occurring (December 3, 2022), and funding decisions will be made shortly after casting/crew decisions are announced. Applicants should email us at fumgassexec@umich.edu once they have their cast/crew decision. We hope to receive your application. Please email fumgassexec@umich.edu with any questions. May all good fortune prosper you! FUMGASS Executive Board [cover image from the 1987 UMGASS production of Ruddigore]

FUMGASS Unites | Mission and Bylaws | Board Members | History | Back to Top FUMGASS Unites FUMGASS unites those interested in the history and production of the canon of Gilbert and Sullivan works and provides financial support and stability to UMGASS, the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society. FUMGASS is a non-profit organization. UMGASS is a non-profit, student-run organization that is supported through ticket sales and private donations made to FUMGASS. UMGASS brings together university students, university faculty and staff, and community residents to produce the works of William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, twice each year. These fully-staged productions are performed with live orchestra at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in downtown Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society is the nation’s oldest student-run society dedicated to performing the operettas of Sir William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. This organization offers participants opportunities to exercise and master their artistic craft, whether it be set design, costume construction, orchestral playing, or singing and dancing. Of equal importance, UMGASS gives its participants the opportunity to develop leadership and team-building skills, develop long lasting friendships, and become a part of a tradition that was born in 1947. UMGASS also provides a great community service, providing our audiences quality entertainment, while educating them on the legacy and legend of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. ​ 1. Community Interest: To engender and maintain community interest in the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society (UMGASS) and the Gilbert & Sullivan operas. ​ 2. Support of UMGASS: To provide such financial support to UMGASS as the Board of Directors may deem proper, including providing opportunities for scholarships to deserving members of UMGASS. ​ 3. Assistance to UMGASS: To provide advice and assistance to the UMGASS Executive Board when requested. UMGASS has shown itself able to manage its own affairs and FUMGASS should in no way become involved with UMGASS management unless specifically requested to do so by the president of UMGASS. ​ 4. Publication of GASBAG: To ensure the publication of GASBAG on a more-or-Iess regular basis, and to serve as an international medium of exchange for news and opinions pertaining to the Gilbert & Sullivan operas. ​ 5. Fellowship: To provide a chance for Geeandessophiles to meet other kindred souls (including members of UMGASS) in social or working environments. ​ Mission and Bylaws The overall mission of FUMGASS is five-fold and is best expressed in this excerpt from the 2009 Bylaws. (The full document may be found HERE.) About Us History FUMGASS was founded in the fall of 1969. That year, ticket sales from the disastrous summer show Paint Your Wagon bankrupted UMGASS and left the Society deeply in debt. Because UMGASS is a student organization affiliated with the University of Michigan, it did not have any financial reserves. The University threatened to close UMGASS down. Faculty advisors Harry and Betty Benford (and perhaps others) paid the bills and guaranteed the Society’s finances. The planned production of Ruddigore was replaced by Pinafore in the fall of 1969 followed by Pirates in the spring of 1970. Done on shoestring budgets, the debts were paid off and the coffers reasonably replenished. That fall, the Benfords and John Allen established FUMGASS to raise funds for the group through annual membership donations that could provide a financial cushion for UMGASS should another shortfall recur. In the original governance structure, John Allen was Absolute Despot, Harry and Betty Benford were Wise Men (with obvious allowances being made for Mrs. Benford), and the current UMGASS president ex officio was Public Exploder who could blow the whole thing up if ever the UMGASS Board decided FUMGASS wasn't a good idea anymore. (In actuality, John Allen served more-or-less as treasurer, and the Benfords ran the rest.) Since then, FUMGASS has attracted to its board and membership people from the audience, casts and production staff who love UMGASS productions and want to ensure its financial security and longevity. ​ In 1999, FUMGASS took an important step becoming a 501c(3) nonprofit organization allowing all membership contributions to be tax deductible. The Society’s bylaws were updated at the same time. The bylaws were amended again in 2009 to more carefully delineate board functions and they remain in effect. The full document can be seen HERE . Although the need for FUMGASS to provide financial support has happened rarely since 1969, the current financial climate and declining audiences have meant reduced revenues. FUMGASS has once again been subsidizing UMGASS productions. FUMGASS Unites | Mission and Bylaws | Board Members | History | Back to Top Mission and Bylaws The overall mission of FUMGASS is five-fold and is best expressed in this excerpt from the 2009 Bylaws. (The full Bylaws document may be found here .) 1. Community Interest: To engender and maintain community interest in the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society (UMGASS) and the Gilbert & Sullivan operas. ​ 2. Support of UMGASS: To provide such financial support to UMGASS as the Board of Directors may deem proper. 3. Assistance to UMGASS: To provide advice and assistance to the UMGASS Executive Board when requested. UMGASS has shown itself able to manage its own affairs and FUMGASS should in no way become involved with UMGASS management unless specifically requested to do so by the president of UMGASS. ​ 4. Publication of GASBAG: To ensure the publication of GASBAG on a more-or-Iess regular basis, and to serve as an international medium of exchange for news and opinions pertaining to the Gilbert & Sullivan operas. ​ 5. Fellowship: To provide a chance for Geeandessophiles to meet other kindred souls (including members of UMGASS) in social or working environments. FUMGASS Unites | Mission and Bylaws | Board Members | History | Back to Top FUMGASS Unites | Mission and Bylaws | Board Members | History | Back to Top President: Brynn Raupagh Brynn joined UMGASS in 2001 as chorus member where she has happily remained in both female and male guise with occasional walk-on parts. She also served as UMGASS secretary, FUMGASS vice president, and coordinator of the 60th Anniversary Celebration. Brynn was previously a member and secretary, vice president and president of The Arbor Consort, an Ann Arbor a cappella group. Now retired, Brynn was a freelance museum exhibit developer and partner in her husband’s home remodeling business. Vice President: Vacant Could be you! Treasurer: Alexandra Kahn Roselle Ali is a former UMGASS president and treasurer and has performed onstage in various lead and supporting roles with UMGASS since 2007. She is a dual graduate of the UM Ross School of Business (BBA, MAcc) and UM School of Music, Theatre & Dance (BMA, Voice Performance). Ali is a registered CPA and a former PricewaterhouseCoopers auditor; she currently works as a financial planning and analysis director for WarnerMedia/HBO in New York. She is married to UMGASS alum Jon Roselle, to whom she famously got engaged during the curtain call of UMGASS's 2013 production of Pirates of Penzance (http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/umgass-pirates-of-penzance-performance-ends-in-cast-members-engagement/ ). Keeper of the Rolls: David Goldberg I joined UMGASS for the Fall, 1963 production of The Mikado, which shut down abruptly on the assassination of President Kennedy. That may have been the jolt that bound me to UMGASS. Years later, I was levitated above the orchestra pit by UMGASS Faculty Advisor and guru Harry Benford, to become President of FUMGASS, which lofty position later led to becoming the editor of GASBAG, and then and now, The Keeper of the Rolls. And here we are. GASBAG Editor: Sarah McNitt Sarah McNitt is a long-time Gilbert & Sullivan fan whose participation in UMGASS productions has thus-far been limited to years of (quietly) singing along from the audience. Now she has taken a more active (but equally quiet) role by becoming editor of FUMGASS’s member newsletter, GASBAG (Gilbert And Sullivan Boys And Girls). Sarah is a five-time Jeopardy! champion and works for the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering at the University of Michigan. Archivist and Historian: Daniel Florip Dan Florip appeared in five UMGASS productions, ran the makeup department for six more, served as President of UMGASS in 2002-03, and directed The Mikado in 2006. He edited GASBAG for five years starting in 2009. Dan spends most of his time working as a transactional and estate planning attorney in Alpena, Michigan. Sometimes his archiving the history of UMGASS takes a back seat to playing golf, home improvements, traveling, researching family history, and fathering two crazy young boys. Member at Large: Mitchell Gillett Mitch started performing with UMGASS the moment he hit town in 1987. Joining the FUMGASS board in the mid-90s to help with the 50th anniversary, he later edited the GASBAG from 2004 to 2009. Moving to Rogers City in 2019, he is now a freelance opera director. He has performed roles with UMGASS, Main Street Opera, Southern Ohio Light Opera, The Colorado Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, Arbor Opera Theatre, MOT, The Buxton (UK) International Festival, and the Comic Opera Guild (COG). He has directed productions for the COG, AACT, West Michigan Savoyards, UMGASS, and the Croswell Opera House. Member at Large: Margie Warrick Margie’s first production was Mikado in 1982 and she was hooked! She went on to appear in several productions and choreographed two of them. Margie is most proud of directing and choreographing HMS Pinafore in 1995 and The Mikado in 1999. She served as FUMGASS president from 1993 to 2005. Her major accomplishment was establishing FUMGASS as a 501 (c) (3) organization and encouraging robust fund-raising efforts. Margie also organized the 50th UMGASS Anniversary celebration, which was a full week-end event. Member at Large: Natan Zamansky The lure of performing with UMGASS was one reason Natan chose to attend the University of Michigan. He encyclopedic knowledge of G&S was invaluable during his participation in UMGASS productions in on and off-stage capacities. Natan served on the UMGASS board and was GASBAG editor for two years. He now lives in New York, exclusively off-stage. FUMGASS Past Presidents Harry Benford Fall 1969 – Fall 1978 Gloria Bennish Fall 1978 – Spring 1981 Lee Vahlsing Summer 1981 Joe Beitel Summer 1981 – Fall 1982 Mary Locker Fall 1982 – Winter 1983 David Goldberg Winter 1983 – Fall 1993 Margie Warrick Spring 1993 – Fall 2005 Don Devine Fall 2005 – Spring 2020 Brynn Raupagh Spring 2020 – present Current Board Members FUMGASS Unites | Mission and Bylaws | Board Members | History | Back to Top

Membership Why Join FUMGASS? ​ We, who have the disposition to admire G&S, also have the good fortune to have the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society available to us. In exchange for this inestimable privilege, we encourage you to join FUMGASS. Your membership will be instrumental in supporting our productions. Membership in FUMGASS yields numerous benefits and the warm feeling that you have done The Right Thing. FUMGASS membership includes: Priority ticket purchase Receipt of our journal GASBAG (Gilbert And Sullivan Boys And Girls) A standing invitation to performance Afterglow parties which are held on the Friday evening of a performance weekend ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ You also receive a subscription to GASBAG (Gilbert and Sullivan Boys and Girls) , our magazine of scholarly articles, reviews, fun, and the latest news of G&S happenings locally and internationally. ​ FUMGASS is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. We support UMGASS, we occasionally contribute to academic scholarships for deserving members of UMGASS, and we support the University of Michigan libraries. You can join FUMGASS by selecting one of the membership categories below and mailing a check or contributing online. You can also visit us in the lobby before and after performances and at intermission. On behalf of UMGASS and FUMGASS, we thank you. ​ ​ Why Join FUMGASS | Membership Levels | Ways to Donate | Back to Top Membership Levels ​ ​ Student ($25) Friend ($50) Paragon of Patronage ($100) Peerless Philanthropic Paladin, KCB ($150) Peppery Potentate ($250) Chancellor ($500) Mikado ($1,000) Why Join FUMGASS | Membership Levels | Ways to Donate | Back to Top Why Join FUMGASS | Membership Levels | Ways to Donate | Back to Top Ways to Donate Donate online Donate via Paypal Please note that FUMGASS pays a fee (2.2% + $0.30 per transaction) to PayPal. As a result, we appreciate efforts to make check/cash donations or cover the PayPal fees in your contribution. Donate via Venmo Please note that FUMGASS pays a fee to Venmo (1.9% + .10 per transaction). As a result, we appreciate efforts to make check/cash donations or cover the Venmo fees in your contribution. Contribute while shopping You can support FUMGASS while shopping at Amazon or Kroger. For more information and instructions on how to get your account set up, see our page Support UMGASS while shopping! . Major gifts For our donors with needs such as estate planning, major gifts, corporate donations, etc: FUMGASS holds long-term endowment funds with the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation . The fund principal is permanently invested for growth and the interest is either reinvested or provided annually to FUMGASS. Please contact the FUMGASS board at fumgassexec@umich.edu to explore donation opportunities to these funds. Donate by mail Mail your tax-deductible contribution to:​ FUMGASS c/o David Goldberg 8461 Thurston Road Pinckney MI 48169 ​ Checks should be made out to "FUMGASS" or "Friends of the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society."

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