CURTAIN UP - LATEST NEWS

Auditions will take place during the week of 12th-17th January 2027. The audition pack will be available on 9th December 2026. In-person auditioning is strongly recommended for all auditionees, and mandatory for those who wish to audition for the parts of Alexandra, Jane, Sukie, Darryl, Felicia, Clive, Jennifer or Michael. Please be advised that the show includes adult themes, so all prospective cast members are encouraged to research the show before auditioning.

This weekend, Hoops of Iron invites GAOS members to come see Two Point Oh, a play about artificial intelligence, directed by Phineas Clark.

Technology. It inspires infinite possibilities... and just as many opinions. Is it our salvation? A crutch? Or the foremost existential threat to its own creators? Will technology do to us what we hae done to our planet? As the digital frontier expands and AI becomes more central to daily life, Two Point Oh explores the quest for immortality, the responsibilities of genius, and whether humanity stands to lose more than it gains from our exhaustive pursuit of "better".

This weekend, Hoops of Iron brings Two Point Oh to Geneva, performed in English with French surtitles.

Written by Jeffrey Jackson, Two Point Oh is a darkly funny, thought-provoking and unsettling play about love, loss, identity and artificial intelligence.

Show dates:

SCENE CAECILIA
Rue Antoine-Carteret 23, 1202 (Geneva)
Friday 23rd October - 19h30
Saturday 24th October - 19h30
Sunday 25th October - 15h
GAOS promo code, for a 20% discount: type "REDUCTION" at checkout.

For anyone looking for an original night out that mixes theatre, contemporary ideas and a conversation you may still be having on the way home, this is one to discover.

Tickets: https://www.helloasso.com/associations/the-hoops-of-iron-players

More information: https://hoopsofiron.com/two-point-oh/

Here are a few upcoming events in which GAOS members are taking part in various capacities. Why not make a GAOS outing out of it and go support them?

- You are warmly invited to come along to what is certain to be a fabulous show!

Fractals: a Musical Evening - created and directed by Sam Fiore!

Also featuring the amazing Naama Cytrin, Mattea Murray, and Diego Atamoros-Digonnet.

Cabaret-style, great songs, you will love it!

Saturday 24th October, 19h30, at the Chapelle de l'Oratoire, 7 rue Tabazan, Old Town (street parking nearby, or use the Parking Saint Antoine).

Venez nombreux/euses!

Please feel free to circulate the invitation widely, bringing with you your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Fractals is a show created and directed by Sam Fiore as part of his Travail de Maturité for Collège.

You can find the poster here.

- Rebecca McDonald is once again one of the organizers of the organ festival, "Souffle d'Automne". Two concerts are scheduled, on the 1st and the 15th of November, at the Auditoire Calvin. Entry is free, with a retiring collection. You can find the flyer, with all details, here.

- Fred Brasseur will be performing in The Turn of the Screw, by Benjamin Britten, libretto by Myfanwy Piper, based on the story by Henry James, at the Lausanne Opera in November. He will be one of two young soloist playing the part of Miles. The precise dates when he will be performing will be announced closer to the event. You can find all details here: https://www.opera-lausanne.ch/en/show/the-turn-of-the-screw/.

- Kathrin Baetschmann, Karin Divià, Debbie Groby, Veronica Hamner, and David Pittuck will be singing in the Lemantica Chamber Choir's concert Dawn to Dusk - A Journey into Time, on the 22nd of November, at 17h in the Temple de Commugny. You can find the poster here, and the programme here.

Another year came to an end, and we happily spent an evening with a wide range of both new and legacy members.

It marked the close of an eventful year with three successful productions and quite a few smaller events as well.

The Committee proudly presented the 2026 GAOS award to Keith Hayward for his continued dedication to the society, even from afar, both as our much-appreciated webmaster and archivist and in the pit, playing and helping our Musical Directors, even when called upon at the last minute.

The Committee also thanked Lauren Stocker for her amazing support and skills as she stepped down after serving on the Committee for the past two terms.

The nominations for the 2026/27 Committee were announced and we are pleased to confirm that the Committee was elected by acclamation as follows:

- Chair: Gisela Schmidt-Martin
- Vice-Chair: Jo Beveridge
- Treasurer: David Ball
- Secretary: Aurélie Laporte
- Business Manager: Wenona Christie
- Publicity Manager: Chris Cartwright
- Technical Manager: Derek Mathieson
- Membership Secretary: Cheryl Rooney-Ball
- Assistant Business Manager: Lucy Irwin
- Assistant Publicity Manager: Helen Dixon-Altaber

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Helen. Her biography will be added to the Committee webpage shortly.

Play details

Geneva English Drama Society presents Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, directed by Yvette Stevens.

Dates: Tuesday 10th to Saturday 14th November 2026

Times: Tuesday to Friday - 19h30
    Saturday - 19h

Venue: Théâtre de Terre Sainte, Coppet

Tickets: https://geds.ch/GEDSTICKETS/ and information: http://www.geds.ch

Price: CHF 25 and CHF 35, with a discount for GAOS members (discount code GAOS2027), valid until 25th October.

Young, beautiful Sidi is the 'jewel' of her village. After her photos are published in a western magazine, she is torn between two proposals of marriage: from Lakunle, a young schoolteacher who embraces Western culture, and the cunning, traditional village chieve Baroka.

About the show: The Lion and the Jewel is a light comedy by Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka. It is considered one of the most important works in Soyinka's oeuvre. The play depicts the conflict between traditional values and modernity, as embodied by the two main characters: Lakunle, a young man who embraces Western culture, and Sidi, a woman who represents the traditional values of her community. The play was written during a time of great change in Nigeria, as the country was transitioning from colonialism to independence. It is considered a classic work of Nigerian literature and has been translated into many languages, and staged all across the world, including at the Royal Court Theatre in 1966. It also serves as prescribed literature text fot the West African School.

Opening night patrons are invited to share a glass of bubbly with the cast and crew after the show!

You can find the poster here.

We're delighted to invite you to join us for our GAOS traditional pantomime Hansel and Gretel - a fun-filled festive production packed with comedy, music, magic, audience participation and plenty of surprises for the whole family.

And, as a special thank-you to our GAOS members, you can enjoy and exclusive discount when booking your tickets. Your members-only discount code is: GINGERBREAD. Remember you can use it as many times as you need, but please do not share it with non-GAOS members.

Book your tickets from Sunday the 11th of October here: https://www.gaos.ch/event-6681865.

Gather your family and friends, and come along for a magical trip into the woods. But don't way too long - the gingerbread house won't stay standing forever!

We look forward to seeing you at the show.

The Other Place, by Alexander Zeldin
Based on Sophocles' Antigone
Performed in English, with French surtitles.

A contemporary reimagining of Antigone, The Other Place carves from the fabric of everyday life a story with the scope and ersonance of ancient tragedy.

On the anniversary of their father's death, two long estranged sisters return to their childhood home. Their uncle, who has since moved in, has begun renovating the house and is determined to move on from mourning. Amid memories and the debris of the building works, the characters' grief, histories and relationships to the deceased intersect, clash and contradict one another.

With a strikingly realist set design - as in his previous productions presented at Comédie de Genève (LOVE, Une mort dans la famille and The Confessions) - the work unsettles appearances, excavating the everyday life and history of an ostensibly ordinary family in order to expose its contradictions, unspoken violence and irreconcilable trajectories.

The Comédie de Genève is offering GAOS members tickets at the reduced price of CHF 25, instead of CHF 40. You can find them here: https://billetterie.comedie.ch/list/partnerAdvantage?code=GAOS26. 

Dates and times:
Thursday 8th October at 19h30
Friday 9th October at 20h
Saturday 10th October at 18h
Sunday 11th October at 15h
Tuesday 13th October at 19h30
Wednesday 14th October at 19h30

The following documents have been added to the website:

• Draft Minutes of the 2025 AGM
• AGM Convocation 2026
• 2026 AGM Proxy Form
• 2026 AGM Nomination Form
• Chair's Report 2025/26
• Treasurer's Report 2025/26
• Auditor's Report 2025/26
• Financial Statements 2025/26
• Financial Analysis of Shows 2025/26
• Notes to the Financial Statements 2025/26

The deadline to present motions affecting the Constitution has now expired. Other motions from the membership can still be received up to 48 hours before the meeting, i.e., 9th October at 17h at the latest.

In case you are hesitating to join us for our first Fringe meeting on Wednesday, 30th September 2026 at HQ, from 14h to 16h, please stop! All are welcome, the more the merrier.

We shall be discussing our possible next show, "Radio Fringe", exercising our voices, and enjoying light refreshments during the pause.

The Fringe must live on!

Any queries, please contact Brian Allardyce (coordinator).