Foreign Language Theatre FAQ

'I may not speak Russian, but the acting was so luminous in Declan Donnellan's Twelfth Night that I felt as if I understood every word'
The Guardian

Introduction

Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod have worked, in recent years, with Russian and French actors as well as English. Every show they create is performed to audiences for whom the play is not in their first language. This can be an incredibly liberating experience: instead of concentrating on every word of the text, the audience can allow themselves to be engrossed in the world on stage which should not rely on words alone to communicate its meaning.

  • Our Russian Work
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    'Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, the artistic directors of Cheek by Jowl, are in the unusual position of being considered national treasures in two countries - their native England and their adoptive Russia.'
    The Independent

    In 1999, Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod (Cheek by Jowl's Artistic Directors) were commissioned by the Chekhov International Festival to form a Russian ensemble. Featuring some of Russia's finest actors, the ensemble first performed in 2000 at the Moscow Arts Theatre with Boris Godunov by Pushkin.

    Since then, this new Russian company has won awards at home in Moscow and has performed across the world from Sydney to Buenos Aires. Its current repertoire includes Boris Godunov, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. In 2010, the Chekhov International Festival will produce their fourth production with Donnellan and Ormerod, a new production of THE TEMPEST which Cheek by Jowl will bring to the UK in spring 2011.
  • Will I understand it?
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    Surtitles above or to the sides of the stage translate the text so that you can always follow what is going on. Many people find that rather than focus on the words, the movement and expressiveness of the actors allows them to follow the story.
  • What are surtitles?
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    Surtitles are like subtitles on a film or television programme, only rather than being displayed at the bottom of the screen, they are projected above or to the sides of the stage. They display the text or dialogue as it is spoken on stage. Sometimes they display an edited version of the text rather than an exact and full translation to allow the audience to read what is going on whilst still watching the stage. It quickly becomes natural to glance up at them without missing any of action. Indeed, many people forget they are there at all.
  • Cheek by Jowl International Work
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    Cheek by Jowl work in Russian, French and English and tour this work internationally – every show we produce is performed to audiences for whom the play is not in their first language. This can be an incredibly liberating experience: instead of concentrating on every word of the text, the audience can allow themselves to be engrossed in the world on stage which should not rely on words alone to communicate its meaning.
  • What the Critics said...
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    'Hugely impressive, a great torrent of passionate language flowing like dangerous white-hot lava. What's more, it is easy to follow with the help of surtitles. Indeed, even with my rusty schoolboy French, I was able to get the gist of what was going on without looking at them, so powerful is the acting, so precise the verbal delivery.'
    The Telegraph on Andromaque

    '[Declan Donnellan] certainly knows how to inspire non-English-speaking actors to make their mother tongues peal with truth and life for us'
    Evening Standard on Andromaque

    'There have and will be countless productions with the full text, but I cannot imagine another that will deliver the non-verbal poetry these Russian actors communicate to the audience as casually as if they were tossing roses.'
    Sunday Telegraph on Twelfth Night

    'The glorious surprise of this  Twelfth Night ... is in how it finds an alchemical substance in Shakespeare that transcends the verbal. At first I was distracted by the telegraphic nature of the supertitles. But Mr. Donnellan and Mr. Ormerod...make the heretical case that the essence of Shakespeare isn't exclusively linguistic. The words, it seems, are but steppingstones to a universal pattern of images and insights about human behavior and the perplexing world that thwarts and shapes it. Shakespeare's first language, it would seem, is not English, after all; it's Theater.'
    New York Times on Twelfth Night

    'What a pleasure it is to hear Chekhov in Russian. I barely understand a word of the language, but you can follow the dialogue with the help of surtitles, and there is a vigour and urgency about the sound of the language that instantly banishes the wan, droopy quality of second-rate English productions of Chekhov.'
    Charles Spencer, The Telegraph on Three Sisters in Russian
  • What audience members said...
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    'I don't speak French but I was absolutely transfixed by Cheek By Jowl's production of Andromaque - I could respond to the rhythms and the beauty of the language in a very uncomplicated way, and the meaning was evoked by the dynamics between the characters, their destructive passions, loyalties and betrayals. When something real happens on stage, it is impossible not to engage and react as an audience member, and the creation of human truths is what Cheek By Jowl knows how to do so brilliantly. Although language is a very important part of a play, this production spoke to me as a non-French speaker on a level that seemed to transcend language. Watching the play was indeed a unique and powerful experience. I can't wait for the next tour, whether it be an English or foreign language production.'
    Audience Member, Andromaque, Cambridge Arts Theatre



    A survey was conducted in 2007 when Cheek by Jowl toured Three Sisters in Russian. 90% of those interviewed said that they would like to see foreign language theatre again.

    These audience comments on Cheek by Jowl's Russian Twelfth Night were posted onto a Guardian blog:
    'I saw Cheek by Jowl's production at the Lowry in Salford...cramped seating, a warm evening. Two minutes in, though, I was enraptured. The characterisation was perfect, and the physicality of the humour was exaggerated by the foreign tongue. We loved it.'
    Posted by ThomasC

    'One of the reasons this production works so well even for non-Russian speakers is that it's such a visual play and fairly short, especially at the wonderful Cheek by Jowl pace.'
    Posted by LawrenceNight
Cheek by Jowl
The Barbican Centre
Silk Street
London EC2Y 8DS
E-mail: info@cheekbyjowl.com