Dede Johnson, the artistic director of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Hancock County, has a bevy of actors clustered around her at the Maine Center for the Arts. They are about to go into a rehearsal of “The Mikado,” and Johnson has notes on choreography, projection, and crisp ensemble acting.

This weekend, the G&S Society, which has performed at the Grand in Ellsworth for the last 21 years, will make its debut appearance at the Orono hall. So Johnson, who has been with the group since the beginning, includes a pretty powerful pep talk for the actors.

“Professional or community — I don’t think the name makes a big difference,” says Johnson. “I think we have something special. Yeah, we’ve hit the big time for Maine, but we’ve also performed in England and Philadelphia. And don’t forget Greenville. Whether there’s three or 300 or a full house, what we do with the show will determine how we feel later. Our best is really very good.”

But Johnson doesn’t have to convince many of that last fact. Maine’s only G&S Society is a shining example of solid community theater that is fun, intelligent and capable. In fact, the Hancock group, which was founded by Johnson’s former mother-in-law, the late Betty Beatty, and Harris Strong, was the winner of the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England, in 1994.

Usually performing at The Grand Auditorium, the G&S Society has had a devout, incorrigible following, and, indeed, played the show to large crowds there last weekend. Being part of the season programming at the Maine Center, however, is a major pat on the back. It’s not the largest nor the most prestigious venue for the society. But it’s a little bit of glory right in the group’s own back yard. That goes a long way in giving the performers some statewide validation, a hard-won badge in a rural setting where many performing artists have bigger careers outside rather than inside state lines.

“We had been considering showcasing a Maine performing arts group during our 10th anniversary season,” says John Patches, executive director of the Maine Center. “I saw a performance a year ago by this group and was really taken by what they did. The director caught Gilbert and Sullivan the way Gilbert and Sullivan was meant to be. When we began to think of Maine artists to show here, I thought this would be just wonderful for them and for the audience.”

Steve Carignan, technical director at the Maine Center, has aided the G&S Society in fitting the show onto a stage that is slightly larger than the Grand’s, and that has better technical capabilities. Other community groups, such as Robinson Ballet and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, have regular gigs in the hall. But, as newcomers, the G&S Society is a special treat.

“They ARE fun, and they ARE high quality,” says Carignan. “They are the heart of community theater and there’s something very pure about their performances. We’re here as a technical staff to try to help them realize their desires for the production. But really, it’s all about Gilbert and Sullivan. It’s not about lights and sets for this group. It’s about being clever and fun.”

“I feel strongly that we do good Gilbert and Sullivan,” adds Johnson, whose 13-year-old daughter is in the show. “It pleases me to have a larger audience to show it to than our Ellsworth audience, which has been very stalwart through the years. The import of going here is that we have now brought it home to our own state. The show is no different from the show in Ellsworth or Philadelphia or England. But this is recognition in our own state and that, to me, is wonderful.”

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Hancock County will present “The Mikado,” 8 p.m. Feb. 14 and 15, and 3 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Maine Center for the Arts at Orono. For tickets, call 581-1755.