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About the European Award for Languages | 2007 winners |
Cogner au Plafond (Bashing on the Ceiling), Questors Theatre
This modern French play performed by British teenagers used the context of the 2005 riots in France to explore contemporary French social issues and highlight more general issues facing urban youth. The project successfully created an authentic context for learning French for the performers and promoted cross borough language learning to a wide youth audience.
The play was written for the cast after several intensive workshops with the youth theatre. Then an audio script was produced and a French consultant engaged to support the cast’s language learning. The production was effective in assisting performers who were already learning French and persuading those which were not to consider taking it up in the future.
The show was performed five times in April 2007 to a total audience of just under 500 people, including school groups ranging from Year 6 to Year 13 from nine different institutions. The performances were well received by all, especially the schools and it has led to plans to create an annual, broad-reaching, cross-borough linguistic event.
The Questors Youth Theatre involves approximately 500 children and young people aged 7 to 18 from schools throughout Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon. The young peoples ethnic backgrounds reflect the mixed demographic of the Ealing Borough (the third most diverse borough in
London).
Language(s): French
