The society, as it is today, was formed at a public meeting held at the Town Hall Assembly Rooms on 12th November 1920. The meeting was called by Hubert Harte and Harold Williams. Arthur Sims was elected the first Chairman. Also present were Arthur Holland and Norman Abrahams, who would epitomise the society for many years. It is the longest standing society in Newport.

It goes back even further though, in that the society was originally conceived in 1903 with 3 productions in one week. They were Trial By Jury with HMS Pinafore, which ran Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Les Cloches de Corneville which was performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday. That week, 7th – 12th December, there were two reviews in the South Wales Argus where many column inches praised the enterprise. Those reviews can still be read at the Central Library. Regrettably, the 1904 performance of The Mikado was the last for the fledgling society due to lack of support at the Box Office. Prices of 6d, !/- and 1/6d were beyond many people of the time.

A link remained to the 1920 society however. One original member, Trevor L Duckham, who had played the Midshipmite in HMS Pinafore in 1903 rejoined in 1920 for the first production of the newly formed society which opened at the Lyceum Theatre on 12th December 1921. This was The Mikado, the same show on which the original society had closed. Seat prices ranged from 9d ( less than 4p ) in the ‘gods’ to 4s 9d ( about 24p) for the stalls and dress circle. Either the populace was more affluent, or the Great War had changed attitudes because the society played to capacity audiences.

The Society continued annually at the Lyceum performing mainly G & S until 1936, then moved to the Empire Theatre for Rose Marie in 1937 and The New Moon in 1938.

That major theatrical production, World War II, got in the way until 1948 when the society began again at the Lyceum with The Desert Song. The resumption was obviously eagerly awaited as queues stretched all around the Lyceum waiting for the opening of the Box Office for advance bookings and the show was a sell out in a matter of hours. At the head of the queue was The Red Shadow, Mr Frank Davey, who bought 300 tickets.

The society’s last show at the Lyceum was Rose Marie in 1960.

In 1961 the society began its association with Newport Playgoers, presenting South Pacific in The Little Theatre, giving 14 performances commencing at 7pm on 4th December 1961.

This was the first of six productions at the Little Theatre, concluding in 1966 with The Vagabond King.

Newport Operatic Society’s first show in the Dolman was Kismet in 1967, although interestingly the programmes continue to refer to the theatre as ‘The Little Theatre’ until the first mention of Dolman Theatre appeared in the 1971 programme for that years show, Die Fledermaus.

The society was still performing annually until, after a brief flirtation in 1973 with South Pacific and The Bartered Bride, the society settled on 2 productions each year in 1976. That year it was Me and My Girl and The Dancing Years.

Ivor Novello featured again in the 75th Anniversary production of Kings Rhapsody in 1995.

The society celebrated the millennium with Oliver and The Merry Widow. Its 100th production was Brigadoon in April 2002. The 1903 and 1904 productions are not counted here.

An interesting link with Eastenders has recently come to light. The character of Dennis Rickman is played by Nigel Harman, whose grandfather, previously a member of D’Oyly Carte, was the producer of Mikado in 1920 and produced for the society up to the 1934 production of Yeoman of the Guard.