There is no other way to report on this event than by expressing immense gratitude. So, MILLE MERCIS Natacha Muller, director of The French Loop for guiding us during a whole day and showing us ways to create 'des occasions théâtrales' in our classes. 

An apt sub-title for l'Atelier théâtre would be FAIRE FEU DE TOUT BOIS, the name of one of the workshops proposed. The 8 participating French teachers left invigorated and indeed ready to faire feu de tout bois, as we all realised how natural it is to integrate drama to language teaching and learning.

From warm-up to improv exercises, from text-based to pure corporal expression, from laughter to tears (not many tears were shed admittedly!), we knew when we left that tout est matière à théâtre, and that performing any emotion or story in another language is the basis to enjoying that language.

After a fun shared French picnic, the second part of the workshop was an open-ended discussion in which each participant shared their hopes and expectations from the AFTV.

Thank you all! With this discussion in mind, we will get back to all members with Theatre-and-Language-Integrated-Learning (TLIL? 😊) opportunities for French teachers and students in 2024.

Isabelle Mangeot-Hewison, AFTV committee member