Gilbert and Sullivan ancestor and the device of the ghostly ancestors stepping out of their portraits. When "Ruddigore" closed, no new opera was ready. Gilbert again proposed a version of the "lozenge" plot for their next opera, and Sullivan reiterated his reluctance to set it. While the two men worked out their artistic differences, and Sullivan finished other obligations, Carte produced revivals of such old favourites as "H.M.S. Pinafore", "The Pirates of Penzance", and "The Mikado". "The Yeomen of the Guard" (1888), their only joint work with a serious ending, concerns a pair of strolling players—a jester and a singing girl—who are caught
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival year for awards including "International Champion". At the weekends there are professional Gilbert and Sullivan performances, including performances each year by the Festival's homegrown National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. A smaller nearby theatre and other venues host the Festival fringe, which consists of dozens of performances and lectures, a memorabilia fair, and other events. The Festival was founded in 1994 and continues to be produced by English businessman Ian Smith, his son Neil, and their family to preserve and enhance the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. It also has a goal of reinstating