About

We are one of the region’s oldest musical theatre companies and perform annually to rave reviews. Founded in 1924, the Society has gone from strength to strength and boasts a membership of over 150 people.

We currently produce two main shows a year – one, two week run in the early year by our members aged 16 and over, and another, one week run by our junior members aged 11 – 23.

In addition we also perform our annual spring concert at a variety of venues throughout Colchester. We are also often in demand at smaller functions such as fundraising events, carol singing and one off performances.

As well as a strong COS membership, our junior members group, known collectively as ‘CO2′ (Colchester Operatic Society Second Edition) is incredibly popular and the Society prides itself on the number of young people who have gone on from CO2, through COS and on to form successful careers within the theatrical industry. Many of these are currently performing on West End stages and on your TV screens!

Nevertheless, the dream of a future career in theatre is not a pre-requisite for joining the Society – for many of our members it is being part of an exciting theatrical project that interests them. Whether your forte is acting, dancing, singing or assisting in other aspects of the production, there is something for you in COS.

In addition to our on-stage activities, the Society hosts a number of social events throughout the year. These range from quizzes and workshops to formal dinner-dances, summer BBQs and much more.

The Executive Committee (made up from elected members of the Society) also produces a quarterly newsletter ‘StageStruck’ which, as well as our website, keeps members informed of events that are planned and reviews of past activities.

Keeping in touch or finding out information has never been so easy – our website covers everything you need to know about the Society, and our Contacts page is designed to give you the details of people to ask any burning questions!

Your level of committment to the Society can be as little or as much as you want – many of our non-acting members prefer just to help out during the run of a show, whilst our performing members abviously commit a significantly greater amount of time to evening rehearsala and the occasional weekend rehearsal.

Whatever your age and ability, Colchester Operatic Society offers challenging, rewarding and above all FUN activities for individuals, couples and entire families in Colchester, with an emphasis on musical theatre.

Get in touch and find out how you can get involved!