LANGUAGE: FRENCH
SUITABLE FOR: 7-11 YEAR OLDS

A fabulous and fanciful story of sorcerers, jewels and
genies which captured the hearts of audiences throughout the UK.  
When the young tearaway, Aladin, finds himself caught up in the mysterious world of an evil sorcerer, he escapes and discovers untold wealth from the enchanted lamp. He even succeeds in winning the hand of the beautiful princess,
but his adventures do not end there...

A joint production with Brazilian theatre company, Le Plat du Jour, Aladin et la Lampe Enchantée brought together actors from Brazil, Italy, Scotland and England. Using clowning, puppets and spellbinding effects, this international cast conjured up a magical world brimming with surprises and thrills from the Orient.

Aladin et la Lampe Enchantée was created by The Company from a working script by Sophie Millon, based on the original tale by Antoine Galland.

Director: Sarah Kemp
Composer: Allan Tall
Set Designer & Masks: Joff Chafer
Lighting Designer: John Mackenzie
Costume Designer: Susie Troup
Technical Stage Manager: Shona Wright

Cast:
Aladin: Alexandra Golik
Mére d'Aladin: Carla Candiotto/Patricia Bergeron/ Sarah Kemp
Sorcier/Sultan: John Cobb
Génie de la Bague: Sophie Millon
Génie de la Lampe/ Grand Vizir: Ben Phillips
Princesse Samirah: Rebecca Jameson

Aladin et la Lampe Enchantée 2004/2006 toured to 41 venues with 92 performances.

In July 2006, TSF took Aladin et La Lampe Enchantée to the Shanghai International Children's Festival and the Nanjing Culture and Arts Centre. Our French adaptation of the famous Aladdin tale was translated from French to English especially for this tour. The project was a truly multilingual affair with the French Aladdin being performed in English, in China, with a cast from England, Scotland, Canada and Brazil!

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
Suitable for: Families

A joint production between Théâtre Sans Frontières and Benchtours Productions that combined their unmistakable brands of physical and visual theatre. The wonderful worlds of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass collided in this new adaptation by Michael Duke.

 Joining Alice on an exhilarating journey of discovery and adventure, from the farce of the Mad Hatter's tea party and a perilous encounter with the Queen of Hearts, the audience were swept along to the comic climax of Alice's coronation as Looking Glass Queen.

Director: Peter Clerke
Writer: Michael Duke
Designer: Karen Tennent
Composer: Steve Kettley
Costume Designer: Alison Brown
Lighting Designer: John Mackenzie
Stage Manager: Paul Borthwick

Cast:
John Cobb: White Rabbit, March Hare, Firefly & White Knight
Rocío Galán: Knave of Hearts, Tweedledum, Mad Hatter & Red Queen
Catherine Gillard: Caterpillar, Cook, Deer, Humpty Dumpty & Queen of Hearts
Sarah Kemp: Tweedledee, Dormouse, White Queen, & King of Hearts
Claire Lamont: Alice
Alaisdair Satchel: Red King, Duchess & Cheshire Cat

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH & FRENCH
SUITABLE FOR: 7-11 YEAR OLDS

Performed in English with some simple French, Around The World In
80 Minutes, was a wonderful introduction to the French language and
Francophone countries around the world. First performed in 2005,
it was toured again in 2007 to delighted audiences everywhere.

Whizzing around the globe, the Sans Frontières detective agency took the audience on an action packed adventure. It was a race against time through jungles, deserts and ice palaces as they chased their arch enemy - the dastardly Fantôme Cycliste. Joining in with the songs and experiencing a wealth of cultures the audience went on a fun-filled journey featuring original music, interactive video and some simple French. Bon Voyage!

A free education pack, including educational materials and all the songs, was available on CD Rom to all groups booking ten or more tickets for the show.

Director: Sarah Kemp
Video Director: John Cobb
Filming: Morgan 
Original Music/ Musical Arrangements: Ken Patterson
Sound Operator: Eleanor Cobb
Set Designer: Andrew Stephenson
Costume Designer: Susie Troup
Lighting Design: Drummond Orr
Technical Stage Managers: Craig Davidson, Shona Wright

Cast:
Jack: John Cobb
Kent: Ken Patterson
Sarah: Rebecca Jameson (on stage) Sarah Kemp (on screen)
Fantôme Cycliste: Andrew Turnbull
Charles van Horst: Andrew Turnbull

Story and script created by John Cobb, Sarah Kemp and Ken Patterson with assistance from Andrew Turnbull and Rebecca Jameson.

Around the World in 80 Minutes 2005/2007 toured to 31 venues.

LANGUAGE: French
Suitable for: Families, 14 year olds and up

Théâtre Sans Frontières' usual joie de vivre ensured that Le Chat Noir captured the hearts and imagination of both young and old.

A fantastical tale from France, Le Chat Noir is bursting with the finest ingredients from Celtic folklore. There is a wicked stepmother, a wealthy prince, a feckless father, a beautiful stepdaughter, her foolish stepsister, a crackle of magic and of course the deliciously mysterious black cat.
When the prince proposes to his true love, no one could be happier in all the land. That is, until their wedding day when the sinister stepmother switches her own plain and ungainly daughter for the beautiful bride to be. Mayhem and mischief ensue as we enter the fabulous world of magic and sorcery, guided by a fabulous feline ­ Le Chat Noir.

Le Chat Noir was performed with the breathtaking visual style of this award-winning international company, using masks from Trestle Theatre, puppets and original music.

Director: Sarah Kemp
Designer: Imogen Cloet
Composer: Peter Livingstone
Lighting Designer: Andrew Biscoe
Stage Manager: Duncan Cave
Deputy Stage Manager: Shona Wright

Cast:
Melanie Baxter-Jones: Yvonne / Beggar
John Cobb: Yvonne's Father / Le Chat Noir
Pepa Degado: Step Mother / Beggar
Rocio Galan: Louise
Philippe Escande: Prince

The script was devised by the Company with assistance from Rebecca Jameson.
Le Chat Noir toured to 26 venues across the UK with 55 performances.

LANGUAGE: SPANISH
Suitable for: Adults, 14 year olds and up
Como Agua Para Chocolate was a mid-scale production adapted from Laura Esquivel's original novel by Linda McLean. It toured to theatres in the UK for the first time in October and November 2006 and again in May and June 2008. Watch the first half of the show above.
This was the UK’s first stage adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s worldwide bestseller, Like Water for Chocolate. With an international cast, vibrant text and a haunting score, including live music, TSF brought its flair for visual storytelling to this sensual celebration of Latin American culture.

SUITABLE FOR: 8-12 YEAR OLDS - KEY STAGE 2
LANGUAGE: FRENCH

Contes Dorés is a theatrical production which combines two wonderfully
magical fairy tales from the French-speaking world: 'Petit Jean et le
Cheval Blanc', from Canada, is about a boy and the witch who wants to
imprison him; 'Les Trois Pommes Dorées', from France, tells of a sick
princess who must eat three golden apples to get well.

Who would have thought that learning a language could be so much fun! Contes Dorés (Golden Tales) is back on the road touring schools during June 2010. We're also taking the show to the Grassington Festival 14-15 June for performances and workshops.
The production is in simple French for 8-12 year olds (school years 4-7) in the first 3 years of learning French.

'It will have you rolling about screeching with delight and willingly calling out in French.' Teacher, West Sussex

'I thought the plays were brilliant and were well acted. I had a great time and would like to see some more plays again.'
Pupil, St Mary's School, Colchester

'An enthralling, highly educational performance. The visual effects were tremendous.' Teacher, Northumberland

2010 summer crew:
Geraldine Cottalorda/Mariae Smiarowska
Rebecca Jamieson/Emily Grant
Jack Burton /John Cobb/Paddy Burton

SUITABLE FOR: 8-12 YEAR OLDS - KEY STAGE 2
LANGUAGE: FRENCH
L’Enfant Peul

"I am not a historian, but rather a teller of history"

Théâtre Sans Frontières collaborated with Paris based Atelier International de Recherche et de Création Théâtrale to bring a rich tale of Africa, bursting with colour, song, movement and epic storytelling to the stage. An international ensemble of actors came together for this first ever stage adaptation of Amadou Hampâté Bâ's acclaimed autobiography.

Hampâté Bâ was a leading member of UNICEF and was awarded the Grand Prix Littéraire de l'Afrique Noire in 1974.

Here he is L'Enfant Peul, a young boy of the Peul tribe growing up in Mali. It is the early 1900's - the time of French colonisation of West Africa. Hampâté Bâ's family are sent into exile and on their return he is enrolled in the French School. Through the eyes of both the child and the coloniser, he tells us the story of his country and people, of an ancient way of life that abounds in wisdom and wit, laughter and tragedy.
L'Enfant Peul took the audience on an unforgettable journey to faraway lands and cultures - through times of love and tales of treachery on a quest to discover our common humanity.

Director: Habib Naghmouchi
Writer: Catherince Levy-Marie
Set Designer: Habib Naghmouchi
Costumes: Yacou Bance
Lighting Designer: Alexandre Lebrun
Company Stage Manager: Duncan Cave
Stage Manager: Shona Wright

Cast:
Rukmini Chatterjee
John Cobb
Gora Diakhate
Nigel Hollidge
Cecile Lehn
Samantha McDonald
Akihiro Nishida
Mahmoud Said

L'Enfant Peul toured to 17 venues across the UK.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN AND SPANISH. 
SUITABLE FOR: Adults, 14 YEAR OLDS AND UP

On a flight from Frankfurt to Montreal a nameless young woman
dies, leaving behind a wailing baby. And so begins the epic panorama linking nine lives and spanning seven decades. The surprising, humorous and emotional stories about the search for identity are overlaid with the human voice in all its forms delivering a rich narrative that spans across generations. 
2007-2012 WITH SUBTITLES

SUITABLE FOR: Adults 16 YEAR OLDS and up
French
Manon Lescaut

Théâtre Sans Frontières commissioned North East writer, Steve Larkin, to adapt the original 18th Century novel Manon Lescaut for this new French stage production. The company developed a unique rendering of this classic story with 1950's styling and shades of film noir, casting Manon as a femme fatale to rival Lana Turner.
Tragedy, farce, commedia dell' arte - all of these combined in this exuberant tale of passion and romance, obsession and treachery.
 Performed by an international cast, from France, Portugal, Australia and Britain. 

Director: John Cobb
Asisstant Director: Sarah Kemp
Designer: Iain Halket
Composer: Allan Tall
Masks: Joff Chafer
Lighting Designer: John Mackenzie
Production Manager: Shona Wright
Technical Stage Manager: Paul Borthwick

Cast:
Melanie Baxter-Jones: Manon Lescaut
Dominic Burdess: Chevalier des Grieux
Luis Santiago: Father of des Grieux / Lescaut
Alex Pinder: Old M. Géhaime / Tiberge
Asher Lawrence: Young M.Géhaime / Synnelet
Rosa Stourac MacCreery: Marie / Jeanne

Manon Lescaut was created by the Company from a script by Steve Larkin and based on the novel Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost and toured to 15 venues across the UK.

SUITABLE FOR: 6-11 YEAR OLDS
Language: FRENCH

Les Olympiques des Animaux (The Animal Olympics) toured summer 2021
in the North East and Cambridgeshire, from 11th June to 9th July 2021.
This was a theatre production with 2 workshops for 30 participating
students each, that celebrated the Olympic Games in Tokyo,
Japan through live action, comedy, puppets and catchy songs.
The performance had originally been devised for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.

TSF will celebrate the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

Les Olympiques des Animaux will  tour Northumberland schools and beyond in a Paris themed show performed in simple French, between 17th June and 12th July 2024.  See What's On for more information. 

SUITABLE FOR: 6-11 YEAR OLDS
Language: Spanish

An enchanting tale from Argentina, performed in simple Spanish for 6 – 10 year olds, teachers, families and friends. Our first Spanish show in schools.

Brother and sister, Luis and Natalia, are playing in the foothills of the Andes. They see a beautiful, shimmering ball and chase after it. However, the ball belongs to the cold-eyed witch of the mountains who uses magic to trap Natalia. Seeking help from the wise old man Atahualpa and el Cóndor, the most noble bird of the Andes, can Luis rescue Natalia in time?

Théâtre Sans Frontières brought its flair for engaging children in different languages and cultures to this Argentinian folktale, with a combination of puppets, actors and vibrant Andean inspired live music.

Directors: Sarah Kemp & John Cobb
Set & Costume Design: Andrew Stephenson
Lighting Designer: Alexandra Anzemberger
Composer: Ken Patterson
Puppets: Alison McGowan

2008 Crew
Cast:
Angel Alguacil
Paddy Burton
Mariae Smiarowska

Stage Manager: Craig Davidson
Assitant Stage Manager, Musician and Puppeteer: Jack Burton

The show toured to nine venues, as well as to schools in Hexham, Sheffield, Galashiels and Dorset.

2010 Crew
Cast:
Ángel Alguacil
Xela Marx
Paddy Burton
Stage Manager: Shona Wright
Assistant Stage Manager, Musician and Puppeteer: Jack Burton

The show toured to 11 venues, as well as to schools in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Westbury, Northampton, Luton and Bristol

LANGUAGE: FRENCH
Suitable for: 7-11 year olds

"I am not a historian, but rather a teller of history"
Théâtre Sans Frontières collaborated with Paris based Atelier International de Recherche et de Création Théâtrale to bring a rich tale of Africa, bursting with colour, song, movement and epic storytelling to the stage. An international ensemble of actors came together for this first ever stage adaptation of Amadou Hampâté Bâ's acclaimed autobiography. 2001

LANGUAGE: Spanish
Suitable for: Adults, 15 year olds and up
TSF gathered a comic crew of Spanish-speaking actors to create a Spanish fiesta, full of colourful situations and larger than life characters suitable for those aged 15 years and upwards.

A sleepy Andalusian village, a comic duo of donkeys dozing in the heat... the highly pompous local magistrate, El Corregidor, is on the prowl, the beautiful Miller's wife, Frasquita - his prey.... Can Lucas, her husband, trust her to be faithful? Or will Frasquita succumb to the Corregidor's lustful advances?

And where is HE going in the dead of night...?

All is not quite what it seems, as wives and clothing are swapped with abandon in this cautionary and satirical tale of love, lust and rural infidelity.

Director: John Cobb
Designer: Jane Heather
Composer: Iain Johnstone
Lighting Designer: Richie Orr
Costume Designer: Susie Troup

Cast 2002:
Frasquita: Rocío Galán
Tía Lucas: Gustavo Gelman
María del Carmen: Sarah Kemp
El Corregidor: José Troncoso
Garduna: Jonathan Waite

Techincal Stage Manager: Shona Wright
Stage Manager: Paul Borthwick

Cast 2005:

Frasquita: Alicia Martel Manguía
Tía Lucas: Gustavo Gelman
María del Carmen: Sarah Kemp
El Corregidor: José Troncoso
Garduna: Elena Oliviere

Techincal Stage Manager: Paul Borthwick
Stage Manager: Claire Teesdale

El Sombrero de Tres Picos was created by the orginal company from a working script by Sarah Kemp, based on the novel by Pedro de Alarcón and toured to 31 venues over the two tours.

with marvellous Spanish inspired music from Iain Johnstone including a definitive donkey chorus...

LANGUAGE: FRENCH
SUITABLE FOR: 7-11 YEAR OLDS

Le Fantôme Cycliste is back - and this time he's interactive!
Explore France, its language and culture through 
this thrilling and fast-paced adventure story about 
the world's greatest cycle race.
Ideal for students at home or for schools seeking on line resources.

Le Tour de France was jam-packed with action and adventure, using large screen interactive video sequences shot on location in France. Traditional and original live music and French songs provided the 'soundtrack' to this freewheeling extravaganza.

Devised and scripted by John Cobb, Sarah Kemp and Ken Patterson, Le Tour de France was orginally researched and piloted in 2001 with staff and pupils from the North East.

Directorial Assitance: Joff Chafer
Set & Costume Design: Susie Troup
Composer: Ken Patterson
Lighting Design: Ritchie Orr
Production Manager: Shona Wright
Assistant Stage Manager: Andrew Turnbull

Cast:
Jack: John Cobb
Kent: Ken Patterson
Sarah: Sarah Kemp
Le Fantôme Cycliste: Andrew Turnbull (on stage), 
Ken Patterson/Duncan Cave (on screen)
Madame Blanc: Marie-Elizabeth Cornet

Le Tour de France toured to 11 venues across the UK

LANGUAGE: FRENCH and English
Suitable for: Families, 12 year olds and up
Virtue and villainy collided in this rollicking knockabout version of the legendary Dumas tale. Théâtre Sans Frontières presented this swashbuckling epic in their own inimitable physical style along with a fiendish new twist for the 21st Century. Handsome, hunky and hairy as they are - Les Trois Mousquetaires are all women!!

Parody, puppetry and cracking comedy combined to make Les Trois Mousquetaires the All Action Adventure Comedy of the Century. The outstanding international band of actors from France, England, Spain and USA brought Dumas' original bestseller to the stage as never before with joie de vivre, live music, brio et brioches!

Adapted by Edward Kemp from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, Les Trois Mousquetaires was performed in French with a little English and Spanish.

Director: John Cobb
Writer: Edward Kemp
Designer: Jane Heather
Composer: Iain Johnstone
Lighting Designer: Andrew Biscoe
Stage Manager: Duncan Cave
Assistant Stage Manager: Shona Wright
Clown Workshopping:
Cast:
James Cunningham: Rochefort / King / Duke of Buckingham
Rocío Galán: Porthos / Queen
Helen Iskander: D'Artagnan
Sarah Kemp: Athos / Milady / Tréville
Christine Nayrolles: Aramis / Constance

Les Trois Mousquetaires was toured to 24 venues across the UK and also to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2001.