French-English bilingual theatre workshops for adults in Courbevoie

Theatre workshops for adults in Courbevoie (age 18+)

Throughout the workshops we use both English and French, adapting to the group’s needs. The aim is to feel comfortable using either language on stage, to be able to improvise and play in both.

Our objectives:

• Have fun exploring new characters and voices thanks to bilingual practise.
• Experiment with the «mask of language”: open new playing possibilities for actors thanks to the distance enhanced by using a foreign language.
• Improve English (and/or French) language skills via onstage practise.
• Work on self-confidence, physical awareness and stage presence.

Workshop content :

• Working specifically on English language techniques: vocal warm-up (face and vocal chords), tongue twisters, vocabulary focus on the day’s content, listening and repeating with precision in the “passing the sound” exercise.
• Theatre exercises : working on passions; situation improvisations; creating settings; exchanging gestures (attention to detail, reproduction of actions); neutral body and movement; crossing the stage ‘on a tightrope’, ‘through a forest’ etc. ; character development; using stimuli (poems, songs, images etc) to create scenes in groups; text work (bilingual adaptations by a wide range of playwrights)

A typical workshop’s activities include:

• A concentration game to bring the group together,
• Warm ups (body, voice, then theatre),
• A theatre exercise, tied to the session aims,
• Text work using a bilingual script adapted by Theatraverse

From September to December, our focus is on developing theatre skills and playing with a range of bilingual texts. From January until May/June, this training is put into practise with the rehearsal of some scenes or a short play that will be performed to an invited audience (invited by the participants).