SATURDAY FRENCH TALES
FULL SEASON PROGRAM
Commisionned by the French Institute in London, Exchange Theatre has selected rare or unknown Children's tales, from major authors of French Litterature. We're now delighted to develop a rare kind of bilingual shows for the children, designed specifically for the multi-cultural families who live in London and are used to bilingualism on a daily basis.
Awakening Interactivity: In order to spark and transmit the will to play, Exchange Theatre creates workshops, readings and kids shows in line with the work produced for adults: a real exchange is created with the audience, breaking the wall between the stage and the the audience and creating stories where the children are actively involved. With creativity, absurdity and humour, and whilst staying connected to a young audience, our shows are also directed towards adults and all ages.
Click to see video trailers of the previous shows:
(NUT ! recorded at the institute on the 11th of December 2011, How to make a good little riding hood? recorded at the institute on the 31st January, The Untold story of Sleeping Beauty recorded on the 26th of February 2011, Simplice, tales to Ninon recorded on the 26th March 2011, CLOCKS ! recorded on the 23rd April 2011, Passing through Maupassant recorded on the 28th of May 2011, and Pictures of Love recorded on the 25th of June 2011)
- December 2010 and 2011: Alexandre Dumas -
NUT !
The Nutcracker is certainly the most obvious Christmas tale. Written by Hoffman, and made famous by Tchaikovsky. Alexandre Dumas was asked to write a tale by a child and fell as he was falling asleep in a party, he was inspired to rewrite his version of the Nutcracker as an encouragement to never stop dreaming. It was the most appropriate choice for our first christmas show in December 2010 as Exchange Theatre turned the mediatheque upside down with a real candy castle and a real toy fight thrown together. NUT! led to the commission of the full seasons that ensued.
Video 11/12/11: NUT !
- January 2011 and October 2011: Perrault -
How to make a good little riding hood?
Charles Perrault is certainly the most famous French author of Children's tales. He inspired Hoffman, Brothers Grimm and many more with his unequalled classic Children Stories: BlueBeard, Little Thumbling, Sleeping Beauty, and the Little Red Riding Hood. He's the most appropriate choice to open the Saturday French Tales season in January. Exchange Theatre takes a look at what it is to be the most celebrated Children's writer in How to make a good Little Red Riding Hood.
Video 29/01/11: How to make a good little riding hood?
February 2011: Anatole France. The untold story of Sleeping Beauty
In February the French Tales series makes us discover Anatole France, famous novelist, Nobel prize of Litterature in 1921, senator, and member of the Academie Francaise. In 1909, he published Les Sept Femmes de Barbe bleue et autres contes merveilleux, a series of magical and somehow unreasonnable tales, full of a surprising spirit and humour for a major writer who was considered as a classical novelist. Exchange Theatre adapts one of these hilarious tales: "The story of the duchess of Cicogne and M. De Boulingrin who slept a hundred years with Sleeping Beauty" where he explores what happens to other people than the princess when she fell asleep with her whole kingdom... Very witty and funny.
Video 26/02/11: The untold story of Sleeping Beauty !
- March 2011: Emile Zola. Tales to Ninon -
March will explore Emile Zola as part of the mediatheque French Tales season. Before becoming one of the most published and translated popular French writers in the world with Therese Raquin (1867) and the Rougon Maxquart serie (1873-1883), before becoming the greatest Naturalist, Zola's very first book to get published as a struggling young author, was Tales to Ninon (1864). Exchange Theatre dives in those tales to present an unknown side of Emile Zola, as young man, romantic and playful telling stories about fairies in love and not-so-clever Prince charming in an eco-fable in advance of a century!
Video 26/03/11: Simplice, Tales to Ninon.
- April 2011 and January 2012 : Jules Verne -
Jules Verne pioneered the science-fiction genre. Best known for novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before any of it were even possible. He is the third most translated author in the world. In April, Exchange Theatre takes the young audience in a dazzling journey in "Master Zacharius, the watcmaker who lost his soul" an a forgotten tale about Clocks, Time and Madness.
Video 23/04/11: Clocks !
- May 2011: Guy de Maupassant -
Considered the father of modern short stories, from 1880 to 1890 he created more than 300 short stories and six major novels Bel Ami, Pierre et Jean, Une vie, only over one decade. In May, Exchange Theatre takes a look inside the prolific mind of Guy de Maupassant and recreates his world for the Institut Francais. With all the elements of his great litterature, mixing realism and supernatural, Passing through Maupassant will transform the Mediatheque into a terrific experience for all ages.
28/05/11: Passing through Maupassant.
- June 2011 : Theophile Gautier -
Alongside Victor Hugo, Alfred de Musset and Stendhal, Theophile Gautier is one of the most important French Romantic writer from the 19th Century. Mixing the beauty and the comedy, his most famous novels are Le capitaine Fracasse and The romance of the Mummy which inspired many modern movies. Exchange Theatre creates Pictures of Love in June, inspired by two short stories by Gautier where paintings come alive and carpets fall in love. 25/06/11: Pictures of Love.