Trending Comics Gala is back with another spectacular English-language gala showcasing some of the hottest comedians from all over the world. Read down to find out how to win a double ticket!
It promises to be another epic celebration of the truly universal language of laughter. Catch this unique comedy experience on Friday the 6th of December, 20h30 at the Auditorium Stravinski, 2m2c, Montreux. Hosted by Paul Taylor (UK) and Sebastian Marx (USA). Featuring Conrad Koch (SA), Thomas Wiesel (CH), Charles Nouveau (CH), Ken Cheng (UK), Arzoo Malhotra (DBX), Mpho Popps (SA) and Noman Hosni (FR)!
World-renowned comedians are coming all the way to Montreux
Montreux Comedy presents another fantastic line up of international acts in this year's Trending Comics Gala, the only one entirely in English. The show is fast becoming a popular feature at the Festival.
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Conrad Koch: South Africa’s top comedy ventriloquist, and possibly the only one, and is a double International Emmy nominated comedian. His most famous puppet, Chester Missing, has won numerous awards in his own right, including being the first recipient of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Anti-Racism Award.
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Thomas Wiesel: He has managed to make his mark on the French-speaking Swiss scene, on stage, radio, television and web. Thomas tackles all subjects and spares no one!
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Charles Nouveau: He grew up in a cultural mix in the Nyon area and is trilingual (French, English, Spanish).
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Ken Cheng: A British born Chinese professional poker player and comedian noted for his YouTube comedy character, Mark Liu, and reaching the final of the 2015 BBC New Comedy Awards.
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Arzoo Malhotra: She was born in India, moved to Egypt, then to the US, and now lives in Dubai. She decribes herself as “a third-culture kid” which is reflected in her writing.
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Mpho Popps: In 2009, he entered a show entitled “So you think you’re funny”. He has gone on to other shows such as "Blacks Only" and Market Theatre for the Just Because Comedy Festival. He was nominated for the First Annual Comics Choice Awards in the Best Newcomer category in 2010.
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Noman Hosni: Stand-up comedian, actor, director and French animator residing in Switzerland. He has worked at the Théâtre du Point-Virgule, and opened for Norman Thavaud and Mathieu Madénian throughout France.
Who doesn't like a board game? One of my favorites is Scrabble, although I'm not very good at it. I have memories of my parents pulling out the dictionary and arguing about the meaning of the words (or rather whether the word was allowed). Somehow my mother was always right! When I heard that there was a new Scrabble group starting up in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to meet with other like-minded people. I caught up with Aurea Fagel, the president of the Swiss English-language Scrabble Association (SESA) to talk to her about it.
Why did you start the Scrabble Association SESA?
After coming from a Scrabble Championship Tournament, Kévin Meng and I realized that there was no existing club or association in Switzerland that organize English Scrabble. Therefore we wanted to create the very first Swiss English-Language Scrabble Association (SESA) in the country to spur interest as well as discover and meet people who share the passion for the game. With the help of our dear friends (Dave, Vicky, Sue, Bill, Anne-laure, Jaqueline, Benoit, Hugo) we met and formed SESA one September evening in 2016. SESA is the official English Scrabble Association in the country, officially recognized by the Swiss Scrabble Federation as well as WESPA, the world governing body for English Scrabble.
Starting this week, Geneva is hosting the exhibition: God(s), instructions manual; an educational and artistic journey into the world of religions. A free exhibition for all audiences, where prestigious museum pieces, humble everyday objects, photos, videos, music and artistic installations converge. And even a play.
Dieu(x) modes d'emploi, an exhibition on religions that does not deal with theology or history, but rather with contemporary religious practice. It crosses the three religions of the Book (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the Asian religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism) and animism, from Africa to Oceania and the Americas.
The exhibition presents religious experience, in its universal (its questions) and particular (its multiple practices) aspects, by approaching religion from a secular perspective. Both scholarly and artistic, God(s) instructions for use will reveal the great diversity but also the similarities that religious practices present through nearly 200 objects, collectibles and photographs, multimedia installations and interview recordings. A twenty-minute play performed at the heart of the exhibition completes the picture: written by the Belgian writer and filmmaker Philippe Blasband, and directed by Michel Kacenelenbogen, it will address the theme of religious violence.
At the time of its creation, the exhibition was validated by an experienced scientific committee chaired by the historian and essayist Elie Barnavi, Professor Emeritus of Modern Western History at Tel Aviv University and specialist in 16th century religious wars. Conceived under the direction of the Tempora company and the Museum of Europe, the exhibition aims to show the richness of the modes of expression of the faith, to inform about religious reality, but also to promote a climate of freedom of conscience and belief while strengthening knowledge of the various approaches to religious facts.
Taking place beside the lake in Morges between 6-8 September 2019, this 10th edition of Le Livre sur les Quais festival will host around 300 French- and English-speaking writers, covering a wide range of literary genres from children’s books through to travel writing and crime fiction. A comprehensive program of talks, readings and round-table discussions has been set up throughout the 3 days of the event, some of them taking place on the lake in the form of literary cruises, as well as at various venues in and around Morges.
The Great Debates
Once again this year, Le livre sur les quais is pleased to offer a series of debates with the leading authors of the program! You will find the program of this 10th edition through the main website under "billeterie".
Literary Cruises
As every year, the boat Le Lausanne awaits you at the end of the quay, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, for literary cruises. A unique opportunity to set sail with many authors! Sail on Lake Geneva with your favorite author by booking your ticket directly through the main website under "croisières".
Fourteen years after it first performed this show, billed as “the world’s most popular musical”, the Really Youthful Group brings Grease back to the stage - it's sure to be a hit among English- and French-speaking audiences alike. The show depicts the lives of greaser Danny Zuko and student Sandy Olsson who develop an attraction for each other in the late 50s. Popular songs include "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "Greased Lightnin'", "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", and "Hound Dog"... among many others.
This particular show is organized by the GAOS Really Youthful Group. Each year a musical production is rehearsed over the summer at one of the society's usual venues, typically at the end of the school summer holidays.
A Really Youthful Group production usually has a cast of around 30 between the ages of 8 and 17. A further 50 or more people (most of them youngsters, supervised by experienced GAOS mentors) make up the technical teams for lighting, sound, stage management, construction, publicity, make-up, costumes, and so on. It can take a hundred or more GAOS members to put on a show - and most of them never set foot on stage. The range of tasks is enormous and GAOS is also a terrific training ground. They are happy to welcome total beginners and help them learn skills for behind the scenes by regularly organizing workshops to enhance members' skills in specific areas. These are run with the help of local professionals or experts brought in from abroad.
