The full G&S set

John Soper joined York Opera, or City Opera as it was then known, in 1971 to play Peacham in The Beggar's Opera. Now 51, he has clocked up 74 appearances - approximately, he says - but that tells only half the story. He regularly designs the sets and he has produced shows too. Charles Hutchinson learns more from one of the unsung heroes of the York amateur stage scene.

Congratulations, John, on your sterling service to the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Who are you playing this time?

"Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. With this production, I will have done every single G&S there is, and he's one of the most demanding roles.

"There are 35 pages of libretto and Ko-Ko appears on 30 of them. Since the auditions in March I've been trying to learn it. I do an hour at lunchtime, an hour in the evening, and we've had rehearsals three nights a week. All day Saturday I work on the set, so it's quite tiring. But it's all over in a week's time. Yes! Back to a normal life."

You said that with a smile. Presumably you love taking on the dual challenge of singing and designing?

"I can't understand those people who sit at home and just watch TV. You have to do something with your life. In fact I'm also doing a three-year course in ceramics at York College; I've just done my first year, one down, years two and three to go.

"I never did ceramics when I trained at York School of Art in the early 1970s. I did graphic design, but I think everyone has a secret yearning to throw a lump of clay at a wheel and see what happens. Work is so high pressured that you need a bit of stress release, so you sit there and squidge some clay."

When did you become involved in set design?

"I've done it since I was 16. I didn't do any singing at school but I'd joined York Youth Operatic and Choral Society in about 1969, and I asked a guy 'Do you want any help with painting?'. That's where I got hooked on painting and designing, so I've got a lot to thank York Youth for."

How much time does it take to prepare a set for York Opera?

"We do two shows a year, and it takes six weeks to paint each one, so we're painting for 12 weeks of the year."

Your wife, Maggie, makes a significant contribution too, doesn't she?

"She designs all the costume and makes them too, so our house is heaving with kimonos at the moment. Working closely together means we can get the colours right for the costumes and sets, such as when we came up with using shades of blue for the Peter Grimes production."

What is your line of work at Nestl Rowntree?

"I've been at Nestl Rowntree for 32 years. I'm a 'special designer', I design in 3-D, for exhibitions and big promotions at big trade exhibitions and the BBC Good Food Show."

What about all that chocolate? Doesn't it drive you mad?

"I very rarely see it."

Is there a link between the creative processes in your Nestl design and theatre design work?

"Having trained in graphics, the stage side of designing is no great hassle. I can design the shows on computer."

When watching a performance, are you drawn more to the performers or the design?

"I knew you were going to ask that. I love seeing how a set is constructed. Sometimes I get itchy feet to go backstage and see how it was built.

"When I was at York School of Art, I was in two minds about whether to go into graphics or theatre design. I chose graphics and sometimes now I wish I had chosen stage design."

Drama CV

John Soper has appeared in The Sorcerer three times (twice with York Opera, once with York Youth Operatic and Choral Society in Dijon, playing John Wellington Wells); The Pirates Of Penzance, three times (Major General); Trial By Jury, three times (the Judge); Patience twice (Solicitor and Bunthorne); Princess Ida, twice (King Hilderbrand); Iolanthe, twice (Lord Chancellor); The Yeomen Of The Guard (Shadbolt); Ruddigore (Robin Oakapple); HMS Pinafore (Captain Corcaran); and The Gondoliers (Duke of Plazatoro).

Updated: 08:51 Friday, June 11, 2004