From Ireland to the mainland …

Our first venture into Theatre-in-Education began with the Irish-based company French Theatre For Schools for whom we have been working from 1995 to 2009. FTFS perform plays in French in secondary schools throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland, using native French-speaking actors. It has been operating successfully since early 1980. Through FTFS, and now also the Emerald Isle Theatre Company, we want to share with students our passion for theatre and at the same time our passion for the English language. Our principle is: Learning through Fun.

The idea of a TIE tour in France and Belgium was conceived a few years ago, as a result of the phenomenal success in Irish schools. So, in the spring of 2009, we made our first tour on the continent – performing in Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium and in the Aquitaine, the Midi-Pyrenees and Languedoc-Roussillon in France.

We organize a new tour every school year of two new plays, suited to the respective English levels of the students.

Our educational tools…

We present the English language in a non-classroom-like environment using a live, visual form.

All the vocabulary, conjugation, grammar and various expressions used in our plays are appropriate to the curriculum. The actors speak slowly and clearly, and utilize repetition so that students can fully follow the storyline and are kept enthralled by the show. In addition, a summary, a glossary, song lyrics, etc, are sent to the schools in advance so that teachers can ably prepare the students for the day of the show and thereby maximize their theatre experience.

Student participation: Some students have small roles and get to come on stage and perform with the actors. Also, throughout the play we maintain the audience’s interest using different media: we use devices such as puppetry, mime, song, and dance to convey ideas so that even students with the weakest level of English can still understand and follow the storyline. This ensures that all students, regardless of their level of English, can enjoy the show. It enhances their confidence in listening – a skill which we believe to be fundamental in learning a foreign language.