Sam has the unique distinction of having played Rudolph, Grand Duke
of Pfennig Halbpfennig twice! Insanity must run in his family because
his father, Hastings Griffin played the part as well. Interestingly,
Sam has also appeared as Ludwig twice (once for The Gilbert and Sullivan
Players and once for The Savoy Company).
Sam's connection with our society goes back to the very beginning. He was a founding member of GSSCC and its very first stage director. His productions of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado introduced our society to West Chester nearly 20 years ago. Since that time he has appeared on stage in several productions and directed our multiple awards winning production of Trial by Jury for the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival (where he was awarded Best Male Character Actor of 1998 for his interpretation of The Learned Judge). He is returning to the Director's chair for our annual production of Trial at the Chester County Courthouse on December 1, 2, and 3 as part of West Chester's "Old Fashioned Christmas" weekend.
For more than 30 years Sam has played comic baritone leads and directed productions for The Savoy Company, The Rose Valley Chorus, The Arden Singers and The Opera House Players of Camp Tecumseh in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. He is a singing member of The Orpheus Club of Philadelphia where he currently serves on the Executive and Music Committees.
In an effort to pay for all this frivolity, Sam is the Senior Vice President of Forge Business Solutions in West Chester and Philadelphia.