CURTAIN UP - LATEST NEWS

With immense gratitude to Karin Divià for her time as GAOS Social Secretary, we are delighted to introduce a brand new team of volunteers who will be taking the reins on all things social!

Based on the feedback from the members' survey, we hope to provide more community events throughout the year, outside of our usual after-show parties, show screenings, musical evenings, Fringe and Carol Concert.

There is our cabaret open mic on 10th April to look forward to (have you signed up yet?). We are also planning a gala dinner in the autumn. More information on that will come in the next few months.

Say hello to: Annabella Zamora, Fatou N'Diaye, Helen Dixon, Joanita Kalibala, Jo Beveridge, Miranda Barker, and Sunil Chacko. Having such a fantastic group means the workload is shared and no one person is stretched too thin - because as they say, "teamwork makes the dream work!".

Do you have an idea for a social event you'd like to see on the calendar? The team would love to hear from you! All suggestions are warmly welcomed and will go straight into the ideas bank.

Get in touch with any of the members above, or drop an email to social@gaos.ch.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the first GAOS members' survey. Overall, the results show a very positive and engaged GAOS community, with members reporting high levels of enjoyment (average 4.6/5) and strong pride in being part of GAOS (over 95%). The quality of recent productions was highly rated (4.5/5) and most respondents feel satisfied with the value of membership and well-informed about society activities. We are also pleased that members appreciate the role played by the Committee and that they would welcome continued support and consultation.

At the same time, your feedback highlighted some important areas for improvement, such as clearer communication of membership benefits, more inclusive opportunities to get involved, and increased social events. These insights are incredibly valuable and will help shape our priorities as we continue to strengthen and grow the GAOS community.

We will hold a Town Hall at 18h on 10th May to share an analysis of the feedback and outline the actions we plan to take based on your suggestions. Please bring a dish for a potluck dinner! Sign up asap via this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-hE97JUBc2ZRF73N2Xw6vaz9wKFkU8kH2og5Gph73yI/edit

For the first time, the GAOS Committee is sending out a members survey. We would like to hear what you think of GAOS, what you enjoy and what could be improved. Click this link and complete the survey by 20th March.

It will be helpful if you are as concrete as possible with your feedback. Please provide practical suggestions for any changes you recommend, and even volunteer to get involved. We will then take all of the feedback and discuss what changes could be made. The survey is completely anonymous. However, should you wish to discuss your answers further, please add your email to the form and we will be in contact.

Calling all musical fans, especially those who might take them just a little bit too seriously!

Our next GAOS members' evening is Musical Anonymous, where a mutual support group of show fans needs your help.

Sign into your GAOS account and register at the following links:

Saturday 14th March - 19h30
Sunday 15th March - 18h30

You are all warmly invited to the GAOS Choral Group's annual Spring Concert, so save the date now:

Great Choruses from Oratorios and Operas

When: Saturday 18th April, 20h

Where: Holy Trinity Church, rue du Mont Blanc, Geneva

Guest conductor May Hofman has been helping us learn this wonderful music since January, with Joan Cambitsis beautifully accompanying us on the grand piano! David Pittuck will narrate, explaining the settings for the pieces to help you better enjoy it all.

Free entry, with a retiring collection, in aid of the charity Parkinson Swiss. There wil be an apéro after the concert.

You can find the flyer here.

Nigel Lindup has been spring-cleaning and has a number of music scores he'd like to give to good homes. He is offering them free of charge to anyone who is interested in any of them. Condition varies and all have choral directions pencilled in - to be taken as is. The list of scores can be found here. If interested, please contact Nigel at: nlindup@ecomail.eco.

The Library in English is holding its spring book sale on 27th-29th March. Opening hours and other details can be found here.

We were delighted to welcome more than 150 GAOS members, family, and friends to HQ for the 2026 GAOS Fringe. Audience members enjoyed a delightful show, with cast and band taking us on a musical stroll through London Town, featuring songs and sketches that captured the essence of Old Blighty's culture and humour. There was plenty of opportunity to sing along with Music Hall favourites, and a few surprise renditions of songs by The Clash, Spice Girls, and more. Congratulations to everyone involved in putting the show together!

The generous contributions of audience members meant that a donation of CHF 1900 will be made to the Association suisse pour la Recherche sur l'Alzheimer.

Ticket sales for the next GEDS show, A Servant to Two Masters, open on Saturday 14th February. GAOS members can obtain a discount, valid until the 1st of March, using the code GAOS2026.

Play details:
Geneva English Drama Society presents
Carlo Goldoni's A Servant to Two Masters, adapted by Lee Hall
Directed by Ann-Marie Mendes
Dates: Monday 16th to Saturday 21st March 2026
Times: Monday to Friday 19h30, Saturday 19h
Venue: Le Manège, Rte. de Chancy 127, 1213 Onex
Tickets: https://geds.ch/GEDSTICKETS & information: http://www.geds.ch
Price: CHF 25 & CHF 35

Lost love, mistaken identity, and a lot of laughs! Hungry servant Truffaldino realizes that secretly working for two masters could bring twice the reward but, as he tries to do the job of two men, he soon realizes it also brings twice the chaos!

About the show: A Servant to Two Masters was Carlo Goldoni's defining masterpiece in 1743, innovating the way that Italian theatre approached commedia dell'arte by moving it from improvisation to scripted work. When Lee Hall adapted the play in 1999 for the Royal Shakespeare Company, he maintained its time-honoured physicality and slick slapstick, while modernizing the feel and linguistics of this brilliant class war comedy.

Starring: David McClenaghan, Rebecca Shepherdson, Angus MacDonald, Gemma Parkes, Andrea Ogbonna-James, David de Paiva, Charles Slovenski, Barrie Duggan, John Ward, Veera Valo

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

You can see the poster here.

Are you a theatre kid at heart, still trying to "dance through" adult life?

You are invited to an in-person group chat with kindred spirits, struggling to accept life is not a musical! Come hear the stories of 9 protagonists in a 2-hour sharing session.

Directed by Stephanie Bongioanni and Aurélie Laporte, the next musical evening will explore passion, friendship and family in an original comedy filled with musicals excerpts.

Performances will take place on Saturday 14th March at 19h30, and Sunday 15th March at 18h30.

Cast: Clàudia Baró Huelmo, Nikolai Bobenko, Majbritt Bridges, Majken Bridges, Nataliya Domnina, Katie Johnson, Sébastien Miazza, Özge Tunçalp.

Guests: Stephanie Bongioanni, Sarah Irwin, Leticia Miazza

Crew: Deyan Marinov (sound), Matthew Beveridge and Derek Mathieson (lights)