Bentley Operatic Society
Registered Charity 513983

The Bentley was founded in 1913 by members of Holy Trinity Church in Bentley Road Liverpool 8. 

After its first production in the Church Hall, its four founders joined the Army on the outbreak of the First World War.  Happily all survived the conflict and the second production duly took place in 1919. 

Some two years later the vicar was afraid that the church might lose money from the enterprise and so the Society was forced to sever its links with the Church and move to other premises. Undeterred, the Society prospered performing Gilbert & Sullivan and many other light operas and finding a home for their productions in the Crane Theatre above Crane’s music shop in Hanover Street Liverpool. 

Eventually Crane’s shop closed and the City Council took over the theatre renaming it the Neptune. Apart from a break in the 1939- 1945 war the Society has produced a week’s show every year at the Neptune Theatre until it was closed in 2004 for refurbishment. 

This prompted a move first to the Eleanor Rathbone Theatre at Liverpool University in 2005 for Yeoman of the Guard and then, the following year, to the brand new state of the art Brindley Theatre in Runcorn where their NODA nominated Ruddigore was staged. The next production The Gondoliers was also performed at the Brindley in February-March 2007 and this too has been nominated in three categories by NODA.

Apart from a production of Orpheus in the Underworld in 2002 the Bentley has performed only the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan since the 1950's and have built up enthusiastic support from lovers of those enduring operas.

As well as producing a show each year, the Society also performs a series of concerts for local groups and organisations in the early summer.  

Rehearsals are held most Tuesdays at *Oak Vale URC Church Hall L13 4AD (at the Junction of  Broadgreen Road and Edge Lane) starting at 7-45pm.  New members are always welcome whether to sing in the concerts or shows, or to help back stage or front of house. Anyone interested in participating is most welcome to visit on a rehearsal evening or alternatively can contact the Society via the link below.

*A link to a Google Map of this address can be found here.

For further information please feel free to contact the Society via this link.