CURTAIN UP - LATEST NEWS

Date: 13th-14th July, 10h-18h

Venue: GAOS HQ

For Actors - make your character 3D and in glorious technicolour!

Want to hone your acting skills? Whatever your level, you are welcome to join a special 2-day acting workshop led by professional director Eva Sampson.

Cost: GAOS and GEDS members - CHF 100; non-members: CHF 150.

Limited to 25 places.

Payment should be made at the time of registration, if possible. A reserved spot will be confirmed only upon receipt of payment. Keep in mind that places are limited, and will be open to GEDS members as well as the public. Reserve your spot early!

How to register: send an email to Lance Newhart at events@geds.ch with the subject "Acting Workshop Registration" and please send proof of payment. Payment should be made to:

Geneva English Drama Society, 1200 Geneva, Switzerland

IBAN: CH05 0900 0000 1201 0826 9

BIC: POFICHBEXXX

Please add the reference info "Acting Workshop", whether you use e-banking or pay by BVR.

About Eva

Eva Sampson trained on the National Theatre Studio Directors' Course and at the University of Birmingham. She is the Co-Artistic Director of How It Ended theatre company and is an Associate of National Youth Theatre. Eva was the Sky Arts Artistic Associate for Theatre Royal Stratford East during 2022-2023. View Eva's CV here.

On Sunday 8th of September, starting at 10h30 at GAOS HQ, and ending...

If you want to find out, check out the event page and poster.

The GAOS Choral Group has been invited to join the Rochester Oratorio Society in a part of their Geneva concert on Saturday 6th of July at 18h00 in the Holy Trinity Church - and YOU are warmly invited to come listen! The ROS is directed by Eric Townell, brother of Choral Group member Karin Kaminker, and we will join then in Poulenc's Gloria and Laudamus Te. Their choir is very accomplished and has a super programme planned. In addition to our bit with them, it includes Bob Chilcott's beautiful arrangement of the U2 song MLK. We are all privileged to hear their performance! See flyer here.

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!