In  El Sauzal, Tenerife, Teatro Taska and our hosts Carlos Belda and Fefi Suarez organised  a week-long workshop/meeting of ex students of  Monika Pagneux, who has recently died in France. The aim was to continue exploring and sharing Monika's marvellous work of enlivening the work of the actor , honing their presence and  complicity with their colleagues while in the process of creativity and performing on stage .
Participants were from France, Nederlands, Belgium, UK, Japan, Canada, Quebec, Spain. The workshops were led by Feldenkrais teacher Vesna Puric and Director Los Hegger. 

This was swiftly followed  by the 20th Festival de Teatro Amateur, (6-9 December) where John and Sarah were invited by Teatro Tamaska to  lead workshops with a talented group of amateur actors, in a wide range of ages, on the subject of Neutral Mask, a discipline which was taught by our teachers Monika Pagneux , and Philippe Gaulier. In the beautiful Teatro El Sauzal, startling images emerged of a statuesque Macbeth, surrounded by witches; Cleopatra and a chorus of snakes; and Don Quixote beset by a herd of wind-whipped horses. Sarah also took part  as one of the professional judges in the Festival, participating in the 5 day  competition of visiting amateur groups performing new and older plays.

It was a great pleasure for TSF to once again be reunited with former colleagues, as well as  to continue to solidify our contacts with Teatro Tamaska and our artistic connections with the Canaries.

TSF will be revisiting the Olympics in 2024. Next year we aim to visit Northumberland schools and beyond, offering a Paris themed performance of Les Olympiques des animaux with live music, puppetry and video, all in simple French. The tour of schools will be between 17th June - 12th July. Contact TSF through john@tsf.org.uk if you are interested. A Bientot!

• Language: Simple FRENCH
• Suitable for: 6-11 YEAR OLDS
  

DESCRIPTION:
Lion, Rabbit, Horse, Whale and Elephant, from five different French speaking countries, 
participate in an exciting pentathlon, consisting of: running; cycling; swimming; rowing and long jump.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, several displaced Ukrainian artists have come to live in Tynedale, Northumberland. Their arrival has brought a richness and diversity to the area’s creative community. They have acted as a catalyst to bring together local artists, from different art forms, into a new creative community. Over the past year, the group has met regularly, sharing artistic and cultural practice. We are now planning the following programme of creative events and workshops for Tynedale audiences.
Seeds of Hope is a new cross arts project, comprising four public events entitled

• DEPARTURE: Ladycross Quarry
• ROUTES: Queen's Hall Arts /Forum Cinema
• LOST & FOUND: Queen's Hall Arts Centre
• ARRIVAL: Hexham Abbey

Each event will be led by a pair of Ukrainian/Tynedale artists and embrace a range of art forms. They will take place monthly, between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice 2024, marking the increasing daylight and sowing seeds of hope for a more peaceful future.Local people will be able to engage with the project as both audience and creative participants.

In association with Théâtre Sans Frontières , Queen's Hall Arts and Northumberland Libraries. 
Touching and joyful stories of everyday life in the 1950s, told through drama, live music and songs.

The Make Do and Mend team have just returned from Amsterdam, after a lively, inspiring time being hosted by our sister Adult Drama Group led by Loes Hegger. We reunited the two theatre groups, seen here in Amsterdam Central Station. The Hexham group stayed with different Dutch hosts, they participated in a joint workshop led by Loes Hegger and also had an animated walking tour of central Amsterdam and a guided visit to the Archives and Colonial Museum. The whole trip was very successful, as well as challenging. The play performed to a full audience of over 80 in the lovely Plein Theatre.  This was  a joyful reuniting of two drama groups who first worked together on zoom in lockdown. The Amsterdam group were invited to perform last year in Hexham at Queen's Hall and TSF's Adult Drama Group have now reciprocated the experience in Amsterdam. 

• Friday 20th October 7.30pm  SOLD OUT!  PLEIN THEATER, Amsterdam

Comments from audiences:
"Really wonderful and moving. Thank you.
Lovely concept, well written and acted out. Really engaged with audience.
Excellent show and performance. Thought provoking, emotional and heartfelt. Thank you!"

Comments from the group:
"I very much enjoyed the Amsterdam tour. The workshop we did collaboratively with the Dutch group was timely and I think helped the performance and overall the experience was fun and enriching".

Personally this international experience of staging a drama performance has really challenged me but has given me an increased self belief and confidence in what I can achieve with a supportive team of friends and colleagues both in Hexham and in Amsterdam. A unique experience not to be forgotten.

Touring 2024

Delve into the highly deductive mind of a super sleuth in this new production of one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes stories. Be enthralled by this exciting and thrilling mystery, featuring a feisty heroine, struggling with and overcoming a domineering presence in her life.

- It is not cold which makes me shiver.
- What, then?
- It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror.

In association with Théâtre Sans Frontières , Queen's Hall Arts and Northumberland Libraries. 
Touching and joyful stories of everyday life in the 1950s, told through drama, live music and songs.

• Thursday 12 th October 7.30 pm
  HUMSHAUGH VILLAGE HALL, tickets from Humshaugh Village shop or 07979 758179

• Friday 13 th October 7.30 pm
  KNOTT MEMORIAL HALL, HEDDON, nlandlibs.eventbrite.co.uk

• Monday 16 th October 2.30 pm
  ANGEL COURT, GATESHEAD, by invitation only

Friday 20th October 7.30pm  SOLD OUT!
PLEIN THEATER, Amsterdam

TSF has had a marvellous tour to  UK schools 12th June - 7th July 2023.  Feedback from teachers was highly positive:

"Thank you for a fantastic performance on Tuesday. The children loved the whole experience, especially the songs and the zombie!" Parkinson Lane Primary, Halifax

"Just wanted to say thank you to your wonderful team and to say how much we enjoyed the show this morning. It was perfectly pitched for KS2 and the children and staff thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you!"
St Thomas More Primary, Saffron Walden

"We loved it all. There were good parts for the children to join in and it was great to follow."
Longhorsley St Helen's First School, Morpeth

Chantons! Practise the songs with your pupils. A video of Moi, j'adore les bananes is available along with other songs on our YouTube channel, as well as clips from the show and interviews.

TSF is delighted to have received funding from Thriving Communities to work in partnership with Bellingham Library to set up a new Community Drama Group in Bellingham. Gentle movement, fun games and creative improvisation. Opportunities to learn more about using the library's digital resources. Starting October 2023, Wednesday mornings. FREE sessions. For more information contact sarah@tsf.org.uk

We're delighted to announce that our adaptation of the popular Sherlock Holmes classic tale, The Speckled Band, which first toured UK venues in March 2022, will be returning to North East England venues in January 2023.
We'll then be taking the show to Tenerife, late January, where it will be performed at venues in Santa Cruz, El Sauzal and Adeje as part of a foreign language theatre festival.