This year would have seen of our annual production (at Camden People Theatre). But with the covid lockdown, we had to close our studio-space, cancel all our rehearsals and auditions as well as our sources of income like hires or evening classes. We closed the office until it became appropriate to re-open. A big THANK YOU to The National Lottery players for funding Exchange Theatre’s emergency appeal. Exchange Theatre is very grateful and proud to respond to the objective of the Arts Council England. We’re impressed with the response they’ve offered, allowing us and many to survive!
What we do
– We bring European and World plays to the UK and champion diversity.
– We research theatrical forms and the use of moving images and music.
– The theatre contribute to connections between the art and the academic world with work on multilingualism and translations.
– We permanently create collaborations with other artists and organisations in art and in non-creative fields, creating jobs and participation.
Culture had already a particular role to play in responding to the current situation and the public’s experience of lockdown:
– We have responded to the situation by moving all our participants activities online and sustaining our community work.
– We provided art, engagement and workshops to young people.
– Through lock-down, we have permanently championed diversity of work and people. We have strengthened our use of remote technologies and of social networks, broadcasting collaborations (reaching thousands of new audience) and we created both jobs and participation. We never really stopped:
– Look at our community web-series (In French ZOOM Service), and LE PETIT THEATRE
– Check our youth creativity, follow collaborators streaming (500 views with Border Crossing, 1500 views with Les Hommes Papillons, 300 views with Footprint productions) or podcasting (10 Dash Arts episodes, 10 Theatre Lab episodes), watch our own behind the scene series (The Flies, 400 views), connect with several causes and petitions in response to world and mind-changing events.
Le Petit Théâtre during Covid lockdown
Against all odds, this lockdown was an unexpected success! Fanny Dulin set it up in a week and it got up to 8 classes per week teaching French through drama to bilingual third-culture kids all across the Globe France, UK, Switzerland, Italy, for 96 sessions taught and designed by Fanny, Congratulations to her !
Le Workshop – Zoom service
Our annual festival was to showcase the work of our expatriated community company of French-speaking amateur dramatics. We’ve responded to the situation and to the Arts Council England ‘s Let’s create programme by keeping the audience engaged. We found new forms and ways to keep creativity in the arts going towards our dozens of participants, some of the 300 000 French-speaking expatriated european citizens.
We moved all our drama classes on Zoom, and we did not cancel our showcases entirely: this summer, you can still discover the work of amateurs actors during ZOOM Service, the web série from Le Workshop – Cours de theatre en francais a Londres : OUR ONLINE FESTIVAL took place online all through July and August, on the facebook page.
Also, we moved all our drama classes on Zoom and we did not cancel our showcases entirely: this summer, you can still discover the work of amateurs actors during online festival ZOOM SERVICE, la web série du Workshop.
- LES VARIATIONS, by David’s Monday group.
The same script, three different versions, variations on a theme like in free-jazz, entirely devised from improvisations.
- LES INCONTOURNABLES, by Catherine’s Wednesday group.
A series of sketches, extracted from the best of French-speaking comedy TV, from a cult TV show and hilarious triple-act!
- LES SEPT PÉCHÉS CAPITAUX, by Fanny’s Tuesday group.
The seven deadly sins, what’s yours? Seven short plays written for amateurs by some of the best French new writing playwrights.
- LES TURBULENCES, by Fanny’s Thursday group.
Guests of a wedding discuss time, present and future in short funny excerpts from a play by Denise Bonal.
The shows will be broadcasted on Le Workshop Facebook page and Twitter account and some of them will also be posted on our YouTube account.