Julia Davis explains how Théâtre Sans Frontières celebrates the opportunity to work in different languages.
Théâtre Sans Frontières (TSF), based in rural Northumberland, has been producing and touring work in English, Welsh, French, Spanish and German for over 15 years. The company was founded by John Cobb and Sarah Kemp who, inspired by their training in Paris with the renowned physical theatre and movement teachers, Philippe Gaulier and Monika Pagneux, wanted to explore and celebrate language and cultural exchange through highly physical, visual theatre. The company often uses elements such as mime, mask, puppetry, clowning, dance and live music to enhance its storytelling. Today, TSF produces theatre by world authors in their original language, and has worked with artists from Canada, Japan, Africa, South and Central America, and Europe, touring nationally and internationally. It aims to produce work for the widest possible audience, from the very young to the very old, touring productions for schools and families, in school halls, theatres and arts centres, as well as critically acclaimed, mid-scale productions for adults, such as its adaptation of Laura Esquivels best-selling novel, Como agua para chocolate, in Spanish and Abbé Prévosts Manon Lescaut in French. TSFs most challenging project to date has been Lipsynch, a collaboration with the renowned French Canadian actor, playwright and director, Robert Lepage, who has become the companys patron. He shares a way of working that transcends boundaries of language and culture with a highly visual and physical style. A meditation on the nature of voice, Lipsynch is a multi-lingual piece in Spanish, French, English and German, celebrating language. The piece brings together actors from all over the world and features nine characters and nine interwoven stories.
Whilst pursuing this ambitious programme of work in other languages for adults, TSF remains committed to producing quality theatre for children. As well as providing workshops with its school tours, the company also provides educational resources on CD-Rom, both at primary level for childrens productions, and secondary and higher education level for adult productions. The companys work for children is in more demand than ever before. In an environment where the numbers of pupils taking GCSEs in languages is dropping dramatically, with national newspapers reporting that language teaching in England and Wales is in crisis, teachers are keen to do more to engage pupils at an earlier age. This has become especially important with the Governments Modern Foreign Language Initiative, which will see the teaching of one or more foreign language, to children aged seven years and above, made compulsory from 2010.
TSF aims to communicate not just the fact that language learning can be fun, but also that there is a world outside our own borders. Artistic Director, Sarah Kemp, explains, Modern Foreign Language teaching often has a bad reputation as being dull and boring. Anything that can encourage children to see language learning as fun and worthwhile doing is valuable. Our productions give children the opportunity to meet people from other countries, so they can begin to see that we live in a bigger world than their own town or city.
The company continues to be busy. Development work for Lipsynch continues in Quebec with a tour planned for 2009, whilst Around the World in 80 Minutes tours UK venues this autumn and Como agua para chocolate tours UK theatres in the late spring of 2008. Proof, if any were needed, that there is a demand for theatre in other languages a demand that can only grow as global boundaries and borders continue to shrink.
Julia Davis is Marketing and PR Officer at Théâtre Sans Frontières.
t: 01434 652484
e: julia@tsf.org.uk;
w: http://www.tsf.org.uk