Derby Gilbert & Sullivan Company its first production, "The Mikado", received such a favourable response that they changed their name to Derby Gilbert & Sullivan Company to more clearly reflect the new city base and repertoire of the company. In the 1980s, the company played a couple of 'guest weeks' at the Buxton Opera House with "The Mikado" and later "The Yeomen of the Guard". Under the direction of co-founder Andrew Nicklin, the company began to build a reputation for presenting updated, or "non-traditional" G&S productions. Under Nicklin, the company took "The Mikado" to The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England, in 1996,
New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players often earning positive reviews. In 2004, the company presented two G&S productions in England at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. It also presented two full-scale productions ("Pinafore" and "Pirates") and its cabaret-style revue, "I've Got a Little Twist", at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the U.S. leg of the 2010 International G&S Festival. "The Epoch Times" noted, "The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players filled the Majestic Theater with color, panache, fine voices, and playfulness." NYGASP usually presents a New Year's Eve gala and sometimes other special events, featuring pastiches or lesser-known Sullivan music or company members' favorite songs