William S. Gilbert

Sir William Schwenck Gilbert 18 November 1836 29 May 1911 was an English dramatist librettist poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan which produced fourteen comic operas The most famous of these include HMS Pinafore The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre The Mikado The popularity of these works was supported for over a century by yearround performances of them in Britain and abroad by the repertory company that Gilbert Sullivan and their producer Richard DOyly Carte founded the DOyly Carte Opera Company These Savoy operas are still frequently performed in the Englishspeaking world and beyond