News Update - Leisure from knowitall.ch

: Published: 24 April 2023

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Rehearsals for "Doubt: a Parable" are well under way as seen in these photos

The Village Players are putting on "Doubt: a Parable" by John Patrick Shanley directed by Margot Jaggy and are offering up a pair of tickets for one lucky knowitall reader!

Many will know Shanley's 2004 parable form the Oscar-nominated film adaptation. This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play is a gripping portrayal of a clash between progress, persuasion and the complexity of truth.

Catholic school prinicpal, Sister Aloysius, is wedded to tradition and holds fast to her beliefs, while basketball-playing priest, Father Flynn, is charismatic and forward-thinking.

As suspicions deepen, their actions spark a battle of wills from which no one will escape unscathed; but where does the truth lie? Without proof, the only thing certain is doubt.

The history of The Village Players (VPs)
The Village Players was founded on 11 November 1981 in La Conversion, Switzerland, by a group of enthusiasts of English language theatre led by Zelda and John McKillop.

Since then the Village Players have produced a wide range of shows in various theatres and halls in and around Lausanne and elsewhere in Europe.

Currently the VPs have staged 100+ Productions in front of paying audiences – including Old Time Music Halls and English language Theatre Festivals, not only in Switzerland but also in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. Participation in these festivals has resulted in the awards being gained for Best Presentation, Original Script and a Discretionary Award for an actress with a non-speaking role!

The Village Players are a friendly and informal group who have been entertaining themselves and others in the Lausanne area with amateur theatre, music, song and dance for the last 30 years. In addition to the wonderful public productions the group puts on each year, members have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of monthly events including play readings, poetry recitals, musical evenings and social events.

: Published: 03 April 2023

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With its splendor, its charm and its memories, Ripaille is one of the largest residences on the French Lake Geneva shore. A first-rate heritage and environmental interpretation site in Haute-Savoie, the medieval site is today a rare testimony to life in 1900.

Beyond history, visiting Ripaille means discovering a preserved nature, an exceptional land and magnificent landscapes between Dent d'Oche and Lake Geneva.

Settled in the Bronze Age, Ripaille was a prosperous villa in Gallo-Roman times, as evidenced by important ruins.

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: Published: 30 March 2023

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Olafur Eliasson, Geometric Lines for Horizons, 2014. © Jens Ziehe 2015. International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum

In the past, the first Sunday of the month tickets for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum were free. In November 2022 the museum launched Solidarity Sundays (Community Sundays) costing CHF 10.-/person.

Every first Sunday of the month, admission tickets will be collected and donated to the Geneva Red Cross, which will then redistribute them to its beneficiaries. Gradually, the Museum will also join forces with other local partners active in the social field. Thus, by purchasing one or more "hanging tickets", everyone will be able to promote access to culture through a civic act, from person to person.

Numerous activities and surprises await our visitors during Solidarity Sundays: yoga classes, special tours, meetings with authors, discovery of local products, etc.

Sunday, 2 April 2023
— 11h Emergencyoga class with Donna Williams. Combined ticket yoga class & exhibitions here.

— 14h Two voices visit through the lens of emotions with researchers from the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) of the University of Geneva.*

— 15h30 Podcast listening and talk on pressure management in humanitarian negotiations, with the Centre for Competence in Humanitarian Negotiations (CCHN).*

: Published: 27 March 2023

OSG orchestra and audience from stage 2019 11 24

There are always amazing shows and concerts throughout the Suisse Romande area. When you unite a great orchestra with an acoustic and historical concert hall, you won't be disappointed. We caught up with Joannah C. Wengler to tell us more about the Orchestre Symphonique Genevois (OSG) and their upcoming concert on 1 April 2023.

Joannah writes, "Founded in 1977, the Orchestre Symphonique Genevois (OSG) is an ensemble that crosses boundaries: between nationalities, mixing people from the local area with internationals from around the globe; between generations, with musicians from 18 to 80 years of age; and between professions — doctors, physicists, UN staff, historians, librarians, students... and even musicians make up this extraordinary orchestra. They come together under the leadership of professional conductor Hervé Klopfenstein because they share one thing: their love of music."

Over more than 40 years, the OSG has given more than 380 concerts in Geneva, French-speaking Switzerland and neighbouring France. Counting 60-80 musicians — depending on the repertoire — it is an integral part of Geneva's cultural life. It also plays a formative role for some young musicians. In recognition of these two roles, the City of Geneva subsidises the OSG.

Joannah continues, "I first joined the OSG shortly after arriving in Geneva in 2003, introduced by a mutual friend from CERN. After a successful audition I played both in the second and first violins, taking part in many concerts in Victoria Hall in Geneva, but also further afield in the region, in places like Lausanne Cathedral, Nyon Temple, and Belley (France). Highlights have included recording Mahler’s first symphony in Victoria Hall, performing Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the Motet de Genève, and playing with renowned soloists like Lionel Cottet (cello) and Michel Tirabosco (pan pipes)."

: Published: 13 March 2023

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Deloris, played by Joanita Kalibala, singing "Bless Our Show," in her bedroom with her sisters to help calm their nerves before their big performance (rehearsal).

Sister Act is a story about people from different communities, working and finding a connection and compromise. There are many stories in the world of divided communities, but here we have a story about two very different ends of the spectrum coming together and finding a way forward for the good of them all. This is why Sister Act is so fulfilling and continues to be popular with audiences across the world. Note: It has just recently appeared again in London’s West End!

The three directors/choreographers of Sister Act: Karin Ball, Bindu Kapur and Gen Steele, explain they have long thought this would be an ideal show for GAOS. They last co-produced Puss in Boots in 2016 and only now have come back together in the Geneva area.