September Newsletter

SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER

Hope everyone had a good summer and that you did not suffer too much from the heat !

We held a Board Meeting on 6th September and we have lots of exciting events to tell you about.

BOOKS

The library is going strong in spite of the fact that we are still in our temporary premises, you will find below two lists ; some books from a recent donation which are already in the library, and the other, new books on order. Our policy at the library is to keep abreast of recent publications and to stay at the cutting edge of literary actuality. On the other hand, we are quite inundated with donations from kind donators (too many given our current situation), remember, there is a Permanent Book Sale at the library and we hope to hold another Book Sale before Christmas.

EVENTS

We have quite a lot of events in the works

The first is the Play in English at the Domaine d’O (same place as the Christopher Crimes talk). After the play which lasts 1 hour and twenty minutes we will meet the actors for a debate. The company is very well-known and was at Avignon this summer. This event will take place on Thursday 6th December at 7pm. A wonderful opportunity for those of us who are deprived of theatre in English ! Foal will be leading the discussion with the actors in partnership with the Domaine d’O team. There is a special price of 8 euros for Foal members and supporters. If you wish to come, please send a cheque for 8 euros to : Victoria Metherell 31bis Avenue St Lazare Bât O 34000 Montpellier, made out to FOAL before 15th November. I will centralise the cheques and get the tickets. For those of you who came to the Christopher Crimes talk last year you will remember there is a bar at the theatre….

Forced Entertainment presents

TOMORROW’S PARTIES

Forced Entertainment’s latest performance explores ideas and clichés of hope. Writing and collecting future scenarios as well as small narratives concerning optimism and despair, the company investigates the speculative nature of anticipation and the myriad possibilities the future holds in store. Tomorrow’s Parties draws on ideas of utopian and dystopian projections, the optimistic stories we tell ourselves and on the pleasures of invention that arise as the work twists and turns in performance. From these conjectures, day dreams and gripping but well-worn narratives the piece will move out in different directions to other kinds of speculations – the realistic, the personal and the evidently fantastical. Tomorrow’s Parties is Forced Entertainment in intimate and comical mode - a playful, poignant and at times delirious look forwards to futures both possible and impossible.

Forced Entertainment

Since forming the company in 1984, the six core members of the group have sustained a unique artistic partnership for quarter of a century, confirming their position as trailblazers in contemporary theatre. The company’s substantial canon of work reflects an interest in the mechanics of performance, the role of the audience and the machinations of contemporary urban life. The work is distinctive and provocative, delighting in disrupting the conventions of theatre and the expectations of audiences. Forced Entertainment’s trademark collaborative process – devising work as a group through improvisation, experimentation and debate – has made them pioneers of British avant-garde theatre and earned them an international reputation.

The next event is a Christmas Party for members of Foal. We thought it would be a good idea to have a party for all our members and their spouses. The Claringbulls have kindly offered to hold the “aperitif dinatoire” at the library, Place de la Chapelle Neuve on 15^th December at 6pm. You are invited to bring some finger food, the members of the Board will be providing the drinks. Please let us know nearer the time if you are coming: send an email to foal@dbmail.com

Next we come to the Literary Quiz, this will be held again in January with a rather different formula, members of the public who wish to, can be part of one of the four teams, the organisers feel that more people would like to participate. This event will be held at the Martin Luther King venue.

In February we plan a Play Evening, a performance of A.R.Gurney’s Love Letters and later next spring an evening’s entertainment by members of BookChat, more about those events nearer the time.

We are very lucky to have such a dynamic and motivated Board, the library has problems at the moment but FOAL is alive and kicking. This is also thanks to your support which we need to survive.

Thank you all for your support, if you haven’t signed up yet  you can  send a cheque made out to Foal to : Sunshine Erickson Mas de Calage, Chemin de Calage, 34130 St Aunès

(active member 25 euros  benefactor 40 euros  student 15 euros)