CURTAIN UP - LATEST NEWS

Calling our younger GAOS members!

Join our GAOS Youth Announcements WhatsApp group for youth members and children of members who are aged 13-18, in line with supervision guidelines.

This will be a broadcast-only group, with our GAOS Committee youth representative as administrator. Click on the link to join! 

https://chat.whatsapp.com/KPHSpOZAF8iA8jRtTj3YOa?mode=gi_t

Parents, don't worry, you won't be missing any important information. All announcements will continue to be shared in Curtain Update and the main WhatsApp group.

This new group is simply intended to provide a more curated space, with updates and announcements that may be of particular interest to our younger members.

Finally, if any of our young GAOS members have any questions, suggestions, or concerns they would like to bring to the Committee, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Casper at youthrep@gaos.ch.

ETGZ (the English Theatre Group of Zug) is holding auditions for Come from Away. Auditions will be held 29th-31st of May, with callbacks on the 6th of June. Show dates are 11th-17th March 2027 in Chollerhalle (Zug). Registration for the auditions is open until the 15th May. If interested, you can register to receive the full information pack on the following link: Come From Away Auditions. You can also get additional information here.

Our latest musical evening took place about a month ago, so it's high time for a proper summary of the event!

Musical Anonymous introduced a cast of characters sharing their life stories in a support group session dedicated to musical theatre addicts (any resemblance to actual events would be almost coincidental). Navigating the toll that a packed rehearsal schedule can take on family life, alongside the very real hardships, and dents to the bank account, that come with a musical addiction, each character gradually began to find the positive in their passion, helped along by newcomer Jamie. Ultimately, their journey led them to embrace their inner theatre child and, in doing so, discover a newly found community that felt very much like family.

The directors, cast, and crew were absolutely delighted to perform to nearly full capacity audiences, and thrilled to share the fruits of six months of hard work with an audience that clearly appreciated every moment. The reactions were wonderful to hear!

Over the course of both performances, donations raised allowed us to present the Coffee Foundation with around CHF 1,270. The Coffee Foundation is a Switzerland-based non-profit whose mission is to break down the stigma surrounding mental health by fostering open, non-judgmental conversations and creating safe spaces where people feel empowered to seek help and support.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in bringing this production to life. It truly felt like a home away from home for cast, crew and audiences alike.

On Saturday 18th April, the Choral Group gave a lovely concert, raising CHF 2,735 and €90 for Parkinson Switzerland. A medley of well-known - and less well-known, at least to this audience member - choruses from opera and oratorio was delivered with gusto and joy, to the audience's great pleasure. The programme notes gave short biographies of the composers while, in his eloquent introductions to each number, David Pittuck gave additional context around the chorus and the work in general.

May Hofman conducted and the inimitable Joan Cambitsis accompanied on the piano, with their usual brio, and the singers' pleasure and engagement with them and the music was evident. Apparently this was to be Joan's last event with the Choral Group: she is owed an enormous debt of gratitude for her many decades' commitment to the Group, without which, one may surmise, numerous concerts would never have taken place.

A highlight was the Hallelujah chorus from Messiah. As we were given the option, most of us remained seated. One may suppose that we would all have stood, as is traditional, following King George II's example, if the whole oratorio was being sung, but even so, a few forewarned and forearmed stalwarts not only rose to their feet but also joined in, bravely singing along with the performers from their own scores in a mini scratch choir.

The Holy Trinity Church in Geneva was packed, with standing room only, and the atmosphere warm. No doubt the same applied (squared) in the cellar at the apéro afterwards, but this writer felt unable to brave the happy throng and can only conjecture the delightful sequel to a successful evening.

GAOS is excited to announce our 2026 traditional pantomime will be Hansel and Gretel, by Alan P. Frayn.

The step-mother of Hansel and Gretel has had a spell put on her by the Wicked Witch of the Forest, making her mean, but by the end of the show the spell is broken and everyone lives happy ever after. This is a traditional English pantomime, based on the original story by the Brothers Grimm, expanded to include a  handsome Prince of the realm, the traditional Dame and her daft son, and pretty daughter, and many more. And, as usual, good overcomes evil when the Good Fairy steps up to the job.

The Production Team are:
Director: Liz Williams
Assistant Director: Wenona Christie
Musical Director:Dave Quinn
Vocal Coach: Meghan Shanaphy
Choreographer: Bindu Kapur
Choreographer/Children: Alexia Chan
Stage Manager: Jo Beveridge
Assistant Stage Manager: Sébastien Miazza
Set Design & Painting: John Fox
Apprentice Set Painting: Casper Giraldo
Set Construction: David Wrigley & Mike Kaune
Lighting: Derek Mathieson
Assistant Lighting: Matthew Beveridge
Technical Coordinator: Adam Mathieson
Sound: Deyan Marinov
Assistant Sound: Gideon Lucard
Costumes: Margaret Mathieson & Liz Comstock-Smith

We are still looking for a Head of Props and Head of Hair & Make-up. Please let Liz or Wenona know if you would be interested in filing one of those roles.

Performances will be at Théâtre de Marens (Nyon) from Friday 27th November to Sunday 6th December 2026.

Auditions will be held from Tuesday 23rd to Tuesday 30th June 2026. An audition pack with all the specifics will be coming soon... Watch this space!

We have been working on updating the Past Production Archives.

All shows have now been transferred into a new database, designed with the future in mind, making it easy to add to, update and transfer should the need arise in the future.

Changes include:

- All cast members and production team heads have been added and everyone now has their own page listing their credits and tagged photos. The system is aware of alternate names, so maiden names and all the Steve vs Stephens and Liz vs Elizabeths, etc., should all have been merged into single pages.
- Improved search and filtering features.
- Fixing of the many hundreds of typos in the old pages and programmes.
- All past Choral Group concert and Fringe shows details added.
- All past Committees added.
- Listing and ranking of production team roles.

Brian Thomas has completed the huge task of scanning all the past programmes that were not already in pdf format. These can now all be viewed on the show pages.

There are a small number of programmes that are missing from HQ. If you have any of the following, please contact webmaster@gaos.ch:

1995 What you don't know about women - Part of FEST (cast names also missing)
1998 Cruising
1979 Music Hall
1972 Jack and the Beanstalk

With 2702 names and 180 shows currently in the database, there are bound to be some remaining typos, mistakes and missed aliases/maiden names. This is particularly true of the earlier shows. We therefore need your help in finding them. If you find any, no matter how small, we will check and fix them if you email webmaster@gaos.ch.

Brian's dining room table...

The next sessions of the GAOS Dance Group will be held on the 8th and the 15th of May at 19h30 at HQ. 

As a reminder, the purpose of this group is to give members more opportunities to dance together, practice, an share choreography ideas. The group meets once or twice a month (depending on availability) on Friday evenings, and is open to everyone. Join the WhatsApp group to get all the updates.

Our friends at GEDS are very busy this spring, with two shows in the works.

First one is Hamlet: draft I, written and directed by Gary Bird. This is a one-act playlet which GEDS will present at the Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) in The Hague. Before that, there will be two performances in Geneva, on May 8th and 9th at 20h, at the Petit Theatre Onex Parc. You can get tickets here.

Cast:
Horatio - Jack  Goldswothy
Hamlet - Daire O'Doherty
Ophelia - Ashling Barmes
Gertrude - Gillian Barmes
Claudius - Maximilian Jacobson-Gonzalez
Polonius - John Ward
Marcellus/Rosencrantz - Olga Derenkova
Francisco/Guildenstern - Will Fihn-Ramsay
Ghost/Yoric - Zula Ganbaatar
Bob - Lance Newhart

The second show is Late Company, by Jordan Tannahill, directed by Chuck Slovenski, which will be performed at Le Manège from the 18th to the 23rd of May. Tickets will open on the 18th April, and GEDS is offering GAOS member an early-bird discount, valid until the 3rd of May. Code is GAOS2026.

Since its debut in Toronto in 2013, Late Company has been consistently staged across Canada, on the West End, and further abroad to reviews that cite its power and honesty.

One year after a harrowing, life-changing event, five people gather for a dinner party. Perhaps they really did come together with the best intentions, but accusations soon start to fly. Who, if anyone, is responsible for what happened? Blame passes from one person to the next, and it is a lot easier to blame someone else than to face up to their questions. Or your own.

Cast:
Michael Shaun-Hastings - Tom Miles
Debora Shaun-Hastings - Kate Richardson
Tamara Dermot - Masha Neznansky
Bill Dermot - Phineas Clark
Curtis Dermot - Dibyaudh Das

We have received two external casting calls:

- TWO_POINT_OH, Jeffrey Jackson

Elliot Leeds is dead - or is he? A pioneering software mogul, Leeds makes headlines one last time when his private jet plunges into the Pacific. Months later, his widow Melanie discovers Elliot's greatest creation: a virtual-reality simulation of himself. "You can't take it with you", they say. Elliot's not so sure.

Audition dates:
- 4th May, from 12h to 17h
- 5th May, from 15h to 21h
- 6th May, from 12h to 17h
At 34 Grand'Rue, Ferney-Voltaire, 01210 France

We are casting for:

- MELANIE LEEDS (female 28-50), has been at Elliot's side since they first met in college. And even though she'd be just as happy without any of their fame or fortune, she has willingly subjugated her own goals and dreams - including her deep desire for motherhood - to be Elliot's support system. She didn't aspire to be the "woman behind the man", but she loves him too much to ever stop believing his endless promises of a normal family life free from the demands of his tech empire.

- BEN ROBBINS (male, 28-50), helped Elliot launch the company from their college dorm room. Twenty years later, as Paradigm's #2 man, he is every bit as smart and savvy as Elliot. But he lacks the special "it factor" that allows Elliot to envision the future and to make other people see it too. Ben is rich and successful beyond his wildest dreams, yet he's discontent and unfulfilled in Elliot's shadow. A wry, biting wit and a sardonic sense of humour are the only things that keep Ben sane and centered.

- JERRY GOLD (gender-neutral, 30-70). Bill O'Reilly, Chris Matthews, Rush, Olberman, Hannity, Maddows, Beck... the field is a crowded one, but it's a great racket to be in right now, and Jerry Gold is a rising star. Not the biggest shark in the ocean, but he's been making a lot of waves lately, with ratings for his cable show "The Straight Story" rising on the back of the salacious Elliot Leeds story. He cozies up to the political right, but is smart enough to keep himself playable to the widest possible audience.

Performance dates: 2nd of September to 2th of September 2026.
Estimate rehearsal period: 1st of August to 1st of September, during the day.
Professional (paid) production.

Audition Requirements:
- Prepare two contrasting monologues.
- Be prepared to cold-read texts provided at the audition.
- E-mail headshot and resume prior to the 4th of May to hoopsofiron@gmail.com. 

Please let us know ASAP if you expect to have any time-conflicts between 1st August and 27th September.

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- Cabaret (concert version)

Tabou Theatre Company, a physical theatre and musical theatre company based in Nyon, is currently holding auditions for ensemble KitKat girls (scenes performed in French, songs in English). Rehearsals will be held in Geneva (25-27 May) and Lausanne (10 August - 7 September, except 18-23 August). Performances will be on 11th-13th September at the Théâtre de Marens, and the show is expected to go on tour in 2027-2028.

In order to audition, send, before the 22nd April, an introduction video, with a dancing and singing excerpt in the style of the show, and your CV, to taboutheatre@gmail.com. More details (in French) can be found here.

Ticket sales for our spring show, Kinky Boots, will open on the 12th April. As usual, there will be an early-bird members' discount for the first two weeks. The code is KINKY-26. You can use it as many times as you want during the discount period, but please do not share it outside of GAOS.

All details about the show can be found here. You can also help us by sharing the flyer and poster as widely as possible.