by Sam McBride

I was recently going through old scrapbooks of memorabilia from when I lived in Trail, B.C. and worked for Cominco Ltd. (now known as Teck Resources) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as I am organizing photos, posters and other material for donation to local archives.

I worked at the Cominco B.C. Group public relations department as a writer, and one of my colleagues at the Main Gate Building in Trail was graphic artist George Bourchier from Rossland, who shared my interest in community theatre. He was very involved with the Rossland Light Opera Players (RLOP) for many years, both as an organizer and performer, following in the footsteps of his late father Eric Bourchier who was an RLOP founding member in 1952 and a huge fan of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals which he learned growing up in England.  Taking after his father, George not only memorized much of the dialogue in the major Gilbert and Sullivan shows (e.g. Mikado, Trial By Jury, Pirates of Penzance,  HMS Pinafore), he also got to know the “business” of the characters, such as movement and expressions that became part of the G&S tradition.

George was born in Kimberley, B.C. in 1927 and died in 1993 in Trail Hospital. I remember him as a great friend and terrific graphic artist. I also have fond memories of his wife Babs, who was a tremendous organizer and leader of RLOP for many years, as well as acting and singing in a variety of roles with RLOP productions. Barbara “Babs” Killough was born in Castlegar in 1937 and passed away in Rossland at age 63 in 2001.

With my background in communications, I was usually in charge of publicity for the shows of RLOP as well as the Trail Theatre Unlimited group, which was active in that period. For reference, I kept photos, posters and other memorabilia in files, many of which survive today.

1977

First show of the Trail Theatre Unlimited group, 1977. As publicity person, I asked George if he could do a “very basic” poster for me that would not take much of his time. What he produced as absolutely first-rate, and was a big factor in the successful launch of the new community theatre club. 1977.

1978

This 1978 show was the first Rossland Light Opera Players production that I had the pleasure of performing in. I had two minor roles and was in the chorus, along with George.

1979

This show came soon after “Little Mary Sunshine”. George played the lead role as Judge, and I was a member of the jury. As “Trial By Jury” is about half as long as a regular production, the second half of the performances featured singing of rousing German Beer Hall-style songs. 1978.

1980

RLOP’s production of Lionel Bart’s hit musical “Oliver” (based on the story of Dickens’ Oliver Twist) was a big hit with local audiences in 1980 and great fund-raiser for RLOP finances. George played Mr. Bumble, whose songs included “Boy for Sale”, while I had a couple of secondary roles. What stands out in my memory of the show is the stellar performances of two local boys — Dean Cristofoli as Oliver and Bobby Gardiner as the Artful Dodger. Dean’s father Ed Cristofoli was a member of the the famous Trail Smoke Eaters hockey team that won the world championship in 1961.

George Bourchier (in blue suit) makes a fun presentation at the cast party following the performances of the musical “Oliver” in 1980. George played the role of Mr. Bumble in the RLOP production, including a memorable solo “Boy for Sale”.
1981

Circumstances resulted in this 1981 show being produced by Trail Theatre Unlimited, with original music by George Ryan. Aside from once again producing great artwork for the posters and programs, George was not a stage performer in this show. I had a couple of minor roles as well singing in the men’s chorus.

1981

This was a special show by arts and theatre enthusiasts in Trail and Kimberley performed in celebration of Cominco’s 75th anniversary in 1981. I played Cominco’s founding president, Walter Aldridge. At this time, there were about 3,000 Cominco employees at the company’s Sullivan Mine in Kimberley, and 5,000 employees at the Trail Smelter, as the company was going through a very substation $500 million modernization and expansion program. The Sullivan Mine shut down in the year 2000, and Cominco’s Trail operations today have slightly more than 1,000 employees.

1982

George Bourchier played the lead role of Koko in the 1982 production of “The Mikado”. I had a secondary role as Pish-Tush, which included one solo (“Our Great Mikado) and two trios, including “I am So Proud” with George Bourchier and Barry Glendinning. Here are some photos from the show. Babs Bourchier played Pitti-Sing, one of the Three Little Maids.

Above, in photo taken during the dress rehearsal for the 1980 “Mikado” production, are the Three Little Maids and members of the Ladies Chorus, with part of the orchestra in the foreground. The lead character Yum-Yum is seated in yellow, with Babs Bourchier as Pitti-Sing on her right, and Eleanor Honey as Peep-Bo on her left.
From the RLOP “Mikado” show dress rehearsal. From left: Sam McBride as Pish-Tush, Babs Bourchier as Pitti-Sing, Rebecca Sims as Yum-Yum, and Brian Schroeder as Nanki-Poo.

George Bourchier as Koko in 1982 RLOP “Mikado” show. Beside him are Barry Glendinning as Pooh-Bah, and Rebecca Sims as Yum-Yum.

From the “I am So Proud” trio, from left to right, Sam McBride as Pish-Tush, George Bourchier as Koko, and Barry Glendinning as Pooh-Bah.

Another conversation between George as Koko and Barry as Pooh-Bah.

In one of the final scenes of the 1982 “Mikado” show, Koko takes on the formidable Katisha character, player by Yolanda McKinley.

Audrey Millar doing George’s make-up for Koko in RLOP’s 1982 “Mikado” production.

UPDATE of posting, June 23. 2025: You can see George Bourchier as the Major General in RLOP’s 1990 production of “Pirates of Penzance”, which was filmed by Shaw TV. Go to You Tube at “Shaw 61 Pirates of Penzance Feb. 24, 1990”. His classic performance of “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” begins at 48:10.