She was engaged as a chorister by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in June 1947 in their repertory of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. Soon thereafter, she began to play the small roles of Leila in "Iolanthe" and Peep-Bo in "The Mikado", and filled in occasionally as Edith in "The Pirates of Penzance" and Lady Saphir in "Patience". In 1948, she added a number of additional small roles and substituted briefly as Hebe in "H.M.S. Pinafore", Edith in "Pirates", Phoebe Meryll in "The Yeomen of the Guard", and Tessa in "The Gondoliers". She continued to play her small roles and to fill in as understudy for these larger roles, also substituting on occasion as Pitti-Sing in "The Mikado", until 1951.