CURTAIN UP - LATEST NEWS

GEDS is welcoming Director Eva Sampson to teach a two-day acting workshop over the weekend of 24th-25th May. The workshop is all new material, so last year's attendees will find this year just as interesting.

The topics covered include working with a play-text, the best practice for rehearsals, and making detailed work quickly. Actors of all experience levels are encouraged to attend! The exercises might also be of interest to directors and anyone wondering how plays are put together.

What participants have said:

"It was great to stretch our creativity and see how many ways you can interpret the same thing."

"The workshop was an interesting opportunity to work on the craft of acting in an effective and almost scientific way... It helped me start thinking beyond the first instruct regarding a script or scene, and attacking it with different pace, tone and actions - finding the truth of the scene in a more methodical manner."

Dates: Saturday 24th - Sunday 25th May. Full days, from 10h to 18h. 

Venue: GAOS HQ

Prices:

Space is limited to 25 places.

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 2022-2023.

How to register: 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 and GAOS members as well as the public. Please confirm your registration through email to Lance at events@geds.ch and please send proof of payment.

Payment should be made to:

Name and address: Geneva English Drama Society, 1200 Geneva, Switzerland
IBAN: CH05 0900 0000 1201 0826 9
BIC: POFICHBEXXX
Please add the reference information "Acting Workshop"

Tune into WRS on Friday 23rd May at 9h15 to hear Joanita Kalibala and Duncan Lally speak about Jesus Christ Superstar. And don't wait until then to get your tickets, the best seats in the house are filling up!

We are in need of two follow spot operators for the two big follow spots for each show. You will be kept busy and be based in the lighting room, where the follow spots are housed, not on the back row of the theatre with the lighting board. You will be needed for at least the techs and all performances (25th May - 1st June). Please contact Jo Beveridge if you are able to help.

The set construction team are SEEKING brown wooden furniture, which you do not want back, for the Les Misérables School Edition GAOS youth show barricade. We are looking for 1-2 wardrobes, bedside tables, small tables, 2-5 drawer units. Please contact Norman Beveridge if you have any items. We ca collect on Saturday 17th or Wednesday 21st May, when we have rental vans for the Jesus Christ Superstar move-in.

Auditions for Little Women, directed by Liz Comstock-Smith, will be held at Société Suisse des Auteurs (SSA), Rue Centrale 12, Lausanne, on the 11th (19-22h) and the 14th (14-18h) of June. Performance dates: 20th-23rd November. For more information, please contact Liz.

Not into Eurovision but still want to see a good show this weekend? The Village Players have you covered! Tickets still available for their production of The Crucible. 

The Zurich English-Speaking Theatre group (ZEST) presents The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, 14th-24th May. Tickets are available at https://thezest.ch/curious. You can see the poster here.

By popular demand, the GAOS members discount for Jesus Christ Superstar has been extended until the 5th of May. Use the code HOSANNA and get your tickets at an unbeatable price: www.gaos.ch/superstar.

The GAOS Choral Group 2025 Spring Concert is fast approaching - Saturday 10th may, at 20h, in the Holy Trinity Church!

Everyone has been working hard to prepare this concert for you - beautiful classical pieces, including several well-known favourites, and highlighting the beloved Requiem by John Rutter with a young GAOS soloist! Our conductor Chelsea has spent hours getting the best out of all our singers, and we hope you will come and support us. Entry free, retiring collection - and a friendly apéro afterwards.

Make sure you have this GAOS event in your agenda!

It's that time of year again - auditions are open for our upcoming Christmas show! That's right, we're switching things up this year with Elf the Musical - not a panto! Based on the much-loved holiday film starring Will Ferrell, this feel-good musical is packed with festive cheer, catchy songs, and plenty of laughs. With upbeat musical numbers and lots of dance breaks, strong dancers who can light up the stage are especially encouraged to audition.

Audition dates: 17th, 21st, 22nd and 24th June

Audition pack, materials and sign up sheet can be found here, and you can see the poster here.

Get ready to spread some Christmas cheer - by singing loud for all to hear!

Get ready for a production like no other - Jesus Christ Superstar is hitting the GAOS stage this May, and it's already shaping up to be one of our boldest, most unforgettable musicals yet.

Did you know this rock opera was once banned in South Africa and Hungary - and, at the same time, praised by the Vatican? Pope Paul VI was reportedly impressed, saying it might bring more people to Christianity than anything else. Now that's impact!

Nominated for five Tony Awards, the musical has broken boundaries - including casting women in traditionally male roles. GAOS is proudly following that trailblazing path, with Empi Mörn in the role of Judas, Nataliya Domnina as the high priest Annas, and Amy Lally playing Simon Zealotes.

Expect powerful vocals, raw emotion, fierce choreography - and a fresh, contemporary take on a show that's just as provocative and moving today as when the show debuted in 1971, the same year GAOS was born!

Don't miss your chance to be part of this legendary experience. Use the code HOSANNA to get your GAOS member's discount, available until the 28th of April.

Book your tickets now and remember to spread the word!