Welcome to the website of Callander Amateur Operatic Society ..... or CAOS as we're affectionately known.  It's my pleasure to have been elected, recently, as President of this wonderful society.  We have been going now for over 40 years and in that time we have put on many wonderful shows, not least of which was this year's production of Carousel.

Carousel proved a great hit with our audiences and many folk reckoned it to be one of our best performances yet.  With a mix of old stagers and fresh-faced newcomers, we captured the essence of this show - social issues, darkness, light, humour, emotion, joy and redemption. 
 

However, it's now time to look forward and I'm pleased to announce that our next show will be Made in Dagenham, a more modern show based on the real-life tale of sewing machine ladies employed by the Ford Motor Company at their factory in Dagenham, Essex.  In 1968, these ladies took on the might of Ford and the British Government and won, paving the way for the Equal Pay Act.  A tale of adversity and triumph in the East End of London, this show is gritty and has some great songs in it.  As usual we will be performing in McLaren High School and the show will run from 19th to 22nd March, 2025.  Tickets will go on sale in Autumn this year, and you can find out more about how to purchase them by clicking here or the 'Order Ticket' button at the top of this page.

PRODUCTION TEAM

We can't put on a show without a Producer and a Musical Director and over the years we have been very fortunate to have some really talented people fulfil these roles, not least our founder Ian Milligan who was our MD for well over 30 years.  Following in his footsteps for the last few years was Linda Cantlay.  Our most recent Producer was Mhairi Stewart, a long time member of the Society and she followed such luminaries as Anne Ballantyne, James Cassidy and Iain Fraser (now an Honorary Member).  

But things move on and both Mhairi and Linda have decided to step back, at least for now.  I am pleased to announce that we have a new production team.  Providing musical direction is Carolyn Dunion, assisted by our accompanist, Marc Fallon.  Nicola Balfour is our Senior Producer, and she will be assisted by a number of CAOS members.

An important part of any production team is the Stage Manager, and Gene Maxwell will be continuing in that role.

NEW MEMBERS

Over the 40 plus years that CAOS has been going, our membership has changed hugely and that's a never-ending process.   People come and people go and consequently we are always on the lookout for new members.  We've been lucky in recent years to welcome a number of new faces, many of whom appeared for the first time in 'Carousel' and all agreed what a great experience it had been.  So, if you're reading this, Why Not You?  We are keen to encourage new and younger members to join us - those considering it, but put off by the word "Operatic" in our name, thinking that we just do old fashioned, fuddy-duddy stuff, DON'T BE. We've never, ever done a proper opera and although we've done some operettas, e.g. Gilbert & Sullivan stuff, most of our shows are West End and Broadway musicals and now we're branching out to more modern stuff.

If you enjoy singing and like the idea of performing in front of an audience, and would like the opportunity of being involved with a long established and successful team of like-minded enthusiasts, then please come along to our rehearsals. No particular skills are required. You don’t have to be able to read music and, although some singing ability would definitely be useful, it's not necessary. No previous experience of either acting or performing is an entry requirement, those skills can be developed through experience.  What we do know is that when you come along you'll be in the company of many others who didn't know what to expect when they decided to "give it a go".  

Or you might like to keep your activities off-stage, e.g. stage crew, managing props, helping out with wardrobe, make-up or front-of house.  You might have thought about it for years; well now is your chance! If you are interested, contact us through using the 'Contact Us' page on this website, or if you know a current or past CAOS member, talk to them, or just come along to our rehearsals on Monday evenings, at 7.30 pm at McLaren High School.  We started rehearsals at the beginning of September, but don't worry, you'll catch up.

Brian McKay

President