CURTAIN UP - LATEST NEWS

We have a busy month ahead of us. The following auditions are still open for sign-up:

1) Twenty - Audition dates are 8th and 9th of June. See more information here.

2) Aladdin - Audition dates are 18th, 20th, and 22nd of June, with callbacks on the 23rd. See more information here.

3) Life Rolls Along: An Evening with Sondheim - The deadline to send your recordings has been extended until the 29th of May. See more information here.

The big move is finally done, thanks to a lot of hard work by many, and now it's time to PARTY!

Please join us for the HQ Housewarming on Friday 7th of June, where GAOS will offer a sparkling wine reception from 19h30.

Following the welcome drink, refreshments will be available for purchase from the fridge, as always, and we invite you to bring a dish to share.

Come ready to officially open our new HQ in style... and feel free to get the karaoke started!

Sign up here, and let us know what you're bringing.

We are excited to announce that audition packs for our 2024 Youth Production and Pantomime are now online. Sign up now to take part!

TWENTY

This year, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the GAOS Youth Group will present TWENTY, a musical show featuring medleys from many of the Society's most memorable Youth Group productions.  

If you’re between 12 and 19 years old and would like to participate, sign up to audition dates on Saturday 8th June or Sunday 9th June.

Performance dates: 30th Aug-1st September.

Please see the audition pages for more details and to sign up.

ALADDIN

Our 2024 pantomime will be Aladdin andwe are auditioning for both adults and children aged 6-15.

Children's auditions: Saturday 15th June or Sunday 16th June.

Adult auditions: Tuesday 18th June, Thursday 20th June, Saturday 22nd June or Sunday 23rd June.

Performance dates: 6th-8th & 12th-15th December 2024. 

Please see the audition pages for more details and to sign up.

We look forward to hearing from you!

All GAOS members are invited to audition for Life Rolls Along, a Musical Evening of songs from musicals by Stephen Sondheim, woven through excerpts from the memoir You Could Make this Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. The piece takes us on a journey through a woman's life ("the girl/wife/poet") and the evolution of her relationship with "the boy/husband/father of the children", interspersed with songs by Sondheim. This work is performed in accordance with the Sondheim estate and copyright rules.

The musical evening will be directed by Aurélie Laporte and Özge Tunçalp, with Empi Mörn as Musical Director. Performances will be on September 21st and 22nd 2024 at HQ. Self-tape audition videos should be sent to Aurélie by May 29th. More details on the musical evening, rehearsal times, and links to the text, sheet music and backing tracks for the audition can be found here.

Are you ready to take the stage and be part of something extraordinary? We're thrilled to announce auditions for our upcoming musical 20!, our next GAOS Youth Group production.

Audition dates: June 8th and 9th 2024

Time: 10 - 16 h (Saturday), and 10-15h30 (Sunday)

Location: GAOS Headquarters

Calling all talented individuals aged 12 to 19! Whether you are a seasoned performer or new to the stage, we will be happy to see what you've got!

20! is a celebration of our past productions, featuring medleys from several of the memorable shows of the GAOS Youth Group since 2014. It's a chance to showcase your skills and be part of an unforgettable performance.

Show dates: August 30th - September 1st 2024

Venue: Salle Communale de Founex

Don't miss your opportunity to shine! Prepare a song of your choice from your favourite show in the list below, bring your sheet music with you and come ready to dazzle our casting team! Let's make 20! an experience to remember!

If you have any questions, contact Frou-Frou (publicity@gaos.ch), who will be co-ordinating the running of the show, with Philippe Berthoud as Musical Director. We can't wait to see you there!

Shows: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys & Dolls, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma, West Side Story, Hairspray, The Addams Family, Hair, and Legally Blonde.

You are all cordially invited to the upcoming GAOS Choral Group Concert on Saturday 27th of April, at 20h, in Holy Trinity Church in downtown Geneva (an easy walk from Cornavin train station). The concert presents Selected Highlights from British Composers, and is dedicated to the memory of Sue Lloyd. Entrance is free, retiring collection + apéro. Come along, enjoy the music and support your Choral Group! See attached flyer.

We need some volunteers to take on front-of-house duties. If you can help, please get in touch with Joan Cambitsis.

Next, we have summer singing plans for after our April 27th concert, and we're looking for singers:

The GAOS Choral Group has been invited to join the Rochester Oratorio Society (ROS) in singing two movements from Poulenc's Gloria as part of their concert to be held on Sunday 7th of July in Holy Trinity Church (with dress rehearsal Saturday 6th July). The Poulenc is fairly short but great music, challenging, and our 'resident conductor' Chelsea Middleton will rehearse us on Mondays, starting 3rd June in GAOS HQ. And Chelsea will also be singing soprano solos in this concert with the ROS - isn't that terrific!

History: Rochester is a city in upstate New York. The director of the ROS, Eric Townell, is the brother of Karin Kaminker, one of our very own Choral Group tenors! Eric is taking the ROS on a European tour this summer, including Geneva as a venue - Karin of course is thrilled at the prospect of our singing with the ROS under her brother's baton!

This will be a Special Event (with maybe a small fee for music), wo we are inviting you to sign up - by April 20th, please, so we can give Eric an idea of numbers/part distribution - with Carolyn. Thanks!

It's time for another Pub Quiz! Get you team together and take part in this fun event with GAOS family and friends! Join our quizmaster Keith at Charly O'Neills Pub (18 Rue Hoffmann) whilst enjoying a glass of wine or beer.  The maximum number per team is 5. If you don't have a full team, we can assign you one on the day but either way, please register in advance. Spaces are limited, so don't wait too long!

Every GAOS production involves many good people in many different roles. Front of House is essential to a show's success. The team is there to give a friendly greeting to audience members, help with any questions and assist them through their theatre experience. They get to make the customer feel good even before our performers do!

It may seem early for putting together the FOH team for Rent, but as agendas fill up very quickly, Mike felt it best to get a prompt start. If you can help at any of the performances, please e-mail Mike with your availability.

Also, feel free to share this appeal with friends and family, even if they are not GAOS members. FOH is a great way for new people to get involved with the Society!

We have moved upstairs! In order to celebrate, and so members can see the new HQ if they haven't already, we will be having a housewarming party on the 7th of June. More details to follow, watch this space!

GEDS will be going to FEATS this year with two plays. The Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) will take place 18th-20th May in Antwerp. GEDS is presenting both short plays as a double bill in Geneva for two nights ahead of the trips to FEATS. You may recognize some GAOS members among the cast.

The plays:

Friends Help You Move, written and directed by John Ward

Real friends help you move a body. Two inept criminals are planning a heist, but it doesn't go as planned... A black comedy.

Cast: Daire O'Doherty, Will Fihn Ramsay, John Ward

The Geese Fly South, written by Victoria Comstock-Kershaw, and directed by Liz Comstock-Smith

It's the evening before St Valentine's Day, and four couples dining in a smart restaurant reach different stages in their romantic relationships with drama, humour and poignancy.

Cast: Leonardo Jelmini, David McClenaghan, Amanda Monroe, Fatou N'Diaye, Masha Neznansky, Gemma Parkes, Will Fihn Ramsay, Özge Tunçalp

Time and venue:

Friday 3rd May, 20h

Saturday 4th May, 19h

Le Manège, 127 Route de Chancy, 1213 Onex

Tickets: CHF 25, at www.geds.ch.

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