The WBLOS Story starts in 1977, the year that Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee. In common with towns and villages up and down the country, Wootton Bassett turned out in force to party. Part of the town’s celebrations included a Carnival procession and one float in the Parade was called HMS Jubilee. On this float were a number of Wootton Bassett’s leading singers, who entertained the crowds with a selection of songs from Operettas and Musicals.
Such was the success that the organiser of the float, Brian Taylor, decided that Wootton Bassett deserved to have its own Light Operatic Society and so the Wootton Bassett Light Operatic Society was formed. As with most Am Dram clubs, it quickly became known and loved by its acronym, “WBLOS”.
For the first few years, WBLOS performed a main show each Easter at the Wootton Bassett School and then at least one concert in the Wootton Bassett Memorial Hall. Soon after the 2000 show, Wootton Bassett School was redeveloped and the new building did not have a “traditional” stage, so WBLOS decided to make the Memorial Hall its permanent home.
These days, WBLOS has a thriving adult section which performs at least two shows a year, while the junior section entertains the town with a musical every other summer and a number of concerts thoughout the year. There is a full showography, as well as reviews from previous shows, here.