COVERSTORY
UPCOMING SHOWS
the national diversity of the English-speaking community in Luxembourg. “This doesn’t mean that we are always looking for plays which specifically contain characters from different nationalities, but that we try to use those national accents and traits to highlight aspects of the characters.” Pirate Productions, too, is keen to nurture and promote a scenario of having a significant number of non-mother tongue principal actors. Nevertheless, finding a male romantic lead suitable for some of the shows Pirates puts on is not always easy. “There’s a dearth of actors in their mid to late 20s in Luxembourg, and finding a good-looking guy in that age bracket who can act, sing and dance is no picnic. Anyone want to prove me wrong?” says Neil Johnson. Audiences, too, are less likely to be 100 percent mother tongue these days. Indeed, as Tom Leick points out, when the Grand Théâtre reopened its doors in 2003 after a major five-year refurbishment the fabric of the Luxembourg audience had changed enormously. “Increasingly international and cosmopolitan and more diverse than ever, it became apparent very quickly that the programming of the Théâtres de la Ville [the Grand Théâtre and the Théâtre des Capucins] would have to change accordingly and that productions in French and German would ultimately not suffice to cater for this continually evolving clientele.” letters by the peace activist killed by an Israel Defense Force bulldozer in Gaza) and a stunning debut with Never Shop and Fuck When You’re Angry, a mash-up of two plays that redefined British theatre--John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Mark Ravenhill’s Shopping and Fucking. Occasionally Simon will accept an assignment from another theatre, such as the Eno piece for the Kasemattentheater. This, like productions at the Capucins of Coward’s Design For Living and Patrick Marber’s Closer directed by Douglas Rintoul, featured a primarily local cast in English-speaking roles. Simon has no problem working with non-native speakers. “But it is interesting because none of the languages we usually perform in is our mother tongue, so we maybe have a different approach to that. So to grab that chance to do so many plays in different languages is interesting.” Indeed, Simon is not the only director casting non-native speakers in English-language roles. At BGT, Tony Kingston says his company’s aim is to build up a company of international players who play in English and reflect
Prometheus By: Anne Simon Director: Anne Simon Synopsis: a science-fiction fantasy that examines the concept of immortality, the ethics of science, human development and technology. Company: Théâtre National du Luxembourg Dates/times: March 19 at 8 p.m. Venue: Théâtre National du Luxembourg, route de Longwy, Luxembourg-Merl Tickets: €20 adults from www.luxembourg-ticket.lu, www.tnl.lu
Another School Shooting By: Gerald Arthur Moore Director: Sean Sideris Synopsis: an insight into the aftereffects of a school shooting on four diverse characters, whilst provoking the audience and paying tribute to survivors of past school shootings. Company: New World Theatre Club (Youth Group) Dates/times: March 16-18 at 7 p.m. Venue: Tramsschapp, rue Ermesinde, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg Tickets: €15 adults, €10 students from tickets@nwtc.lu or tel. 356 339 or www.nwtc.lu
Visiting companies Julius Caesar, directed by Deborah Warner with an all star cast led by Ralph Fiennes, was the first English language play to be presented at the Grand Théâtre in 2005. Many have followed since, including works produced by the Théâtres de la Ville themselves such as the world premiere of Broadway in the Shadows and Krapp’s Last Tape, as well as the aforementioned Design for Living and Closer. International touring company Cheek by Jowl has been to Luxembourg four times with The Changeling, Cymbeline, Macbeth and ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore. “They were very keen to extend their touring circuit beyond their usual stomping grounds and relatively easy to persuade to come to Luxembourg,” says Leick. Collaborations with the National Theatre London and more recently Doug Rintoul’s Transport, which brought Invisible to Luxembourg, and award-winning Complicite, whose stunning The Master and Margarita wowed audiences at the Grand Théâtre in 2011, have also developed. “The most important thing for us is that
Oxygen By: Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann Director: John Brigg Synopsis: a lively and witty mix of chemical history and fictional drama, that examines the events leading up to the “discovery” of oxygen in the 1770s and the search by scientists in 2001 to unveil who the real discoverer was. Company: New World Theatre Club (within the framework of the European Union Science Olympiad) Dates/times: March 20-23 at 8 p.m. Venue: Kinneksbond, route d’Arlon, Mamer Tickets: €20 adults, €8 students from www.luxembourg-ticket.lu, www.nwtc.lu
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