Listen Again - to World Radio Switzerland

Educating Rita, ​by Willy Russell, is a play about Rita, a young working class hairdresser from Liverpool who embarks on a class at Open University. Frank is a middle-aged university professor, and is taken by Rita's energy and her fresh perspective on classic works. The tutoring sessions take place in Frank's office, where Rita and Frank's characters and relationship develop. This stage comedy by British playwright, Willy Russell, is a play for two actors. Originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Educating Rita had its premiere at The Warehouse, London, in June 1980 starring Julie Walters and Mark Kingston and directed by Mike Ockrent. The play was later adapted into a film starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. The play went on to win the Olivier Award in 1980 for "Comedy of the Year." Boutique Theatre Basel will perform Educating Rita at 8pm on 13, 14, 20, 22, 27, 28 September at Fachwerk in Allschwil. Tickets available at boutiquetheatrebasel.com

Henk sadly died of a long illness this week. All of us send our deepest condolences to his family - as do many of you. Hear Mark's tribute to his friend.

Laura's show 'Job Tales' interviews a new guest each week about their job; the ins and outs of what they do as well as their own personal pathway to their current role. The show has been on WRS for a year now so we invited her on the Breakfast Show to talk about some of her favourite moments so far, some surprises along the way, and about other interviews she really wants to do in the future. Job Tales airs on WRS every Wednesday at 8pm, and Saturday at 11am. Past episodes can be found at worldradio.ch/jobtales If you'd like to appear on the show, please contact WRS at worldradio.ch/contact and give us a little background information about what you do.

'Ozzee the Dozy Mozzee' is an educational and fun fictional story for children about eight young female anopheles mosquitoes learning how to bite humans. (Males don't need to.) They face many difficulties, including the ways humans try to stop them. Ozzee, the mosquito who is the central character, is a dozy reluctant learner, who eventually gets caught in a mosquito net and has to be rescued. It's a humorous fictional book aimed at children 7+, that aims to help educate about the dangers of malaria mosquitoes, and how to avoid being bitten by them. A more serious epilogue transfers the viewpoint to the adult world to plainly state the different methods that need to be adopted to stay safe. Author Jillian Viygrass, who is part South African, draws from her experience as a school teacher working in Ethiopia where she and her children needed to keep mosquitoes at bay. Having since moved to Geneva and continued to work as a school teacher for many years at La Châtaigneraie, she now launches a project to not only write and release this book, but also raise funds to send it to schools and libraries in areas where malaria is rife, particularly in the most affected areas of Africa; DRC, Nigeria and Uganda. She also hopes to have it translated into other languages. Published by Blue Poppy Publishing in the UK, the book is currently available online and locally in the Librarie du Centre in Ferney.

Jane Broere is the Founder of Nourishing Minds; a Swiss non-profit organisation that's feeding school children in Malawi with a cup of porridge each school day with the goal of helping undernourished children concentrate and receive a better education. Nourishing Minds runs several different fundraising events in Switzerland and France throughout the year (we spoke to Jane in May about the recent Ceilidh) and now it's time for the 4th annual book sale. The book sale will take place at La Salle de la Blanchisserie in Divonne, situated next to the Tourist Office. Hundreds of good quality second-hand books will be available for children, young adults and adults; fiction and non-fiction. All books are in English-language. Books will be priced between CHF 3-5 (or EUR 3-5). It will be open: Friday 30 August - 9am - 6pm Saturday 31 August - 9am - 9pm (a great opportunity to visit the Marché Nocturne in Divonne on the same day) Sunday 1 September - 9am - 6pm (whilst the Sunday market is also on). More information about Nourising Minds can be found at https://www.nourishingminds.org/

GAOS Youth Show A retrospective of all the musical Youth Shows GAOS performed since 2004. “TWENTY” will be played at the Founex Communal Hall from August 30 to September 1. The entire cast and most crew members are between 11 and 19 years old. Jo Beveridge, the chair of GAOS and Deyan Marinov, who stars in the show, joined Mark Butcher in the studio to tell us all about it.

LYMPA Founder Ylan Assefy-Waterdrinker and Actress Ophelia Chapman join Katt Cullen in the WRS studio to talk about a musical theatre performance that will tell the tale of the creator of Broadway hit RENT. Jon passed away the day before his musical theatre masterpiece performed on Broadway and therefore never saw its success. This shows what happened in the lead up, through troubled relationships, being a struggling artist and living a bohemian lifestyle in New York City. The show invites the audience to sit on sofas as if you're really part of Jon's appartment. Some will be invited to the immersive side of the show (you can decide on ticket purchase whether you want this or not). The show is bilingual, with Speech in French and songs in English. Friday 2 August 19:30 Saturday 3 August 14:30 & 19:30 Sunday 4 August 11:00 & 15:00 Where: Les 6 Toits, Avenue de Châtelaine 43, 1203 Geneva.

We talk to Festival Manager Pati Bendita about what makes yoga at altitude so different. More info available at inspireyogafestival.com.

CinéTransat is a great event run by Happy City Labs designed to bring people together through creative endeavours. It can be entirely free, though you can buy a drink or two from the buvette, or rent a comfortable transat chair for the movie for just CHF 5.- to support the organisation. As always, there are plenty of movies to enjoy for anglophones. Movies are screened in their original language (with subtitles) to make them more accessible. Organiser Léonor Tanquerel joins us on the WRS Breakfast Show to tell us more! More info at cinetransat.ch

Calling all brave adventurers!! Kids from age 4 and up are invited to take on the challenge of the famous TV show 'Ford Boyard' where different challenges centre around agility, composure, courage and concentration. Fort Boyard entertainment: 16 - 27 July. Host André Bouchet, aka Passe-Partout, will be on-site on Friday 19 July. Kids Factory (additional creative challenges): Wednesdays and Saturdays between 17-27 July. All activities are completely free and no registration is required. Just come along. https://www.centre-manor-chavannes.ch/

Câlin Doré's co-founder Sarah joined us on the WRS Breakfast Show to talk about the lingerie industry and patented technology that offers daily protection. Wanting something that was robust enough for daily use, but beautiful enough to feel like luxury lingerie, Sarah set out to make the underwear that she couldn't find on the market. Every pair can hold as much liquid as a tampon, but are designed for month-round use. But Câlin Doré wanted more! They also wanted to make it ecologically friendly with ethically sourced fabrics and production. From concept to brand launch it's taken 2-years. See the products at calaindore.com Sarah from Câlin Doré joined Katt Cullen on the WRS Breakfast Show...

A Fondness for Truth is the third crime novel in Kim Hays’s Polizei Bern series and is now available in Swiss bookstores. She talks to Katt Cullen on the WRS Breakfast Show about the recent release and some of the characters within the novel. In A Fondness for Truth, Andi Eberhart is knocked down and killed by a hit-and-run driver while cycling home from curling practice. Her heartbroken partner Nisha does not believe her death was an accident. Bern detectives Giuliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli search for a suspect among the people who objected to Andi’s lesbian activism and outspoken honesty. The investigation’s storyline deals with hostility to lesbians, cultural integration, and the still controversial choice of the Swiss Civilian Service (Zivildienst) over the Army for the Swiss obligatory national service. Hays has lived in Bern with her Swiss husband for over thirty-five years, and her newest mystery shows her deep familiarity with her adopted city. A Fondness for Truth (2024) follows Pesticide (2022), and Sons and Brothers (2023) in the series.

There’s an international shortage of nurses at present and this week the WHO are talking about unethical international nurse recruitment across borders. The International Council of Nurses (ICN)'s CEO Howard Catton joins Katt Cullen on the WRS Breakfast Show to explain the consequences of this unethical and short-sighted practice, as well as how the solution includes is on a governmental as well as educational level.

Looking at Miloo bikes, you’ll probably be struck by the chunky tires. But keep looking and you'll soon notice that they're packed with extra features that you don't typically see on an electric road bike. Talking to WRS' Katt Cullen, Co-Founder Anna Bory explains why the mobility industry is so much greater than four wheels versus two. She explains Miloo's development journey and the ways in which Miloo is moving to improve mobility in general. Here's Anna...

Are you on a search for inner peace? Do you want a few minutes a day to escape the rat run of life? At a special session in Geneva on Thursday 20th June you can learn meditation techniques from the master Gurudev. But what can meditation do for you? Mark Butcher spoke to advanced meditation teacher, and head of the Art of Living Switzerland, Marcel Verbay – and started with the basics, what exactly is meditation? If you’d like to learn more – and attend the session in Geneva with Gurudev on Thursday 20th June – then go to www.artofliving.org for more information and tickets.

Robbie Newton and Léo de Riedmatten are embarking on an exciting running challenge which they're calling "Project 26". They are going to be running 26 kilometres a day for 26 consecutive days, in the 26 cantons of Switzerland — a challenge which has never been done before! They are aiming to raise 26,000CHF for Sportegration, an NGO based in Zürich that aims to integrate refugees through sport. They're being supported by On Running, SunGod and Vivi Kola. Kicking off on June 19th in their home canton of Geneva, they plan to hold a with a launch event in Geneva with some of the local run clubs. The routes have been set out in just a way that runners can choose to join them for part of the run. They'll travel the country and the project will culminate on July 14th in Nyon, Vaud. They'll be documenting the whole journey on Instagram @robandleo_

Anne-Marie Harwood is the Managing Director of Secondary at Haut Lac International Bilingual School. She's also one of the 4 co-founders of the school, which started 31 years ago. As she explained to WRS, all co-founders are still closely involved in the management of the school. Located in St Legier, around 5 minutes above Vevey, the school has close to 620 students aged between 3 and 18 years of age. She spoke to the WRS Breakfast Show about the practical implementation of the bilingual programme, the benefits of a bilingual education, as well as their enrolment and interview process. Anne-Marie Harwood joined Katt Cullen on the WRS Breakfast Show...

Catch Todd Barry LIVE at the Comedyhaus in Zurich on Thursday 6 June. Tickets are available at ticketcorner.ch Todd Barry has released four one-hour stand-up specials, including his latest special, Domestic Shorthair. He has starred in shows such as The Wrestler, Road Trip, Flight of the Concords, Chappelle's Show, Spin City, and Sex. You may also recognise his voice from the animated series Bob's Burgers, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, or Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He's appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, and Late Night With Seth Meyers and NOW the Breakfast Show on WRS with Katt Cullen...

Parking across the whole canton of Geneva has got easier with a significant change in how you can pay for spaces online. Mark Butcher spoke to Damien Zuber, who’s the General Manager of the Fondations des Parkings who explains how the new multizone parking app works. You can pay for half or full day parking in Geneva on Multipark.ch – the web app is available in English.

Simon Thompson, Principal of the British School of Geneva joined Mark Butcher in the studio to discuss the value of the UK qualification 'A' Levels. Seen as the gold standard of pre-university qualifications and recognised across the world.