Once again time has got the better of me and I’ve failed to keep up with what’s been going on.  When I last updated this section I was still looking ahead to my stint as Translator in Residence at the Arniches Theatre in Spain and to the opening of Víctor Sánchez Rodríguez’s Cuzco at Theatre503.  Now I’m back from Alicante, Cuzco has almost finished its run, and much else has happened besides.

Most pressing though was updating this website! I’ve just added a whole range of recent projects to my portfolio such as An American Life and Agency by the Spanish playwright Lucía Carballal and the most recent of the plays I have been commissioned to translate by the British Council in Chile.  Importantly though I have also updated the sections about my work in other capacities promoting and supporting the work of international writers and translators, whether this be consulting for the Royal Court, curating for Global Voices Theatre, or producing and marketing for Out of the Wings.  Also I have added more information about the work I do teaching, mentoring, speaking and writing.  I hope you’ll take a look.

One recent example was a post-show discussion I was delighted to take part in as part of the New Plays from Europe festival at the Yard, a great way to start the year promoting and championing playwrights from our neighbours in Europe.  You can listen to it here.

January also saw the showcase of the third interation of

[Foreign Affairs] Translates, the theatre translation programme which I have been proud to be a mentor on since it began in 2016.  This year, plays were translated and performed from Colombia, France and Germany, and as usual [Foreign Affairs] did a masterful job of combining three pieces with very different styles into coherent evening of multi-themed, multicultural ‘theatre that knows no borders’.

As I write, entries have closed for Global Queer Voices, an evening of LGBTQIA theatre in translation and from around the world that I will be curating in April with Global Voices Theatre.  The project was inspired by Global Queer Plays, which this time one year ago showcased seven plays on queer themes and led to a publication by Oberon Books.  Come see us at the Arcola in April to see what 2019 will bring.

Back to my own translation work and well, what can I say about Cuzco at Theatre503?  I have felt so privileged to be working with such an outstanding team, drawn together by director Kate O’Connor and her co-producer Daisy Hale.  Every aspect of this production has been gold standard for me as the translator, with huge acting, design and stage management talents coming together to make a production which I am very proud of.  I am also very grateful to Battersea Spanish for supporting the play so much and for hosting such an enjoyable discussion event during our previews.  I am delighted that reviews and audiences have been so positive and in particular hope that this is just the beginning for the trajectory in the UK for writer Víctor Sánchez Rodríguez.

Talking of which!  I returned from my residency at the Arniches Theatre in Alicante with an English translation of Víctor’s brand new play, the brilliant thriller La Florida, inspired by the landscapes of the playwright’s youth and the hard-boiled California noir he continues to enjoy.

The residency was a great experience, spending several weeks in situ to focus on a translation project, spending time with the writer and taking in the festival of contemporary theatre that takes place annually in Alicante.  I have written in detail about the residency here.

Also while I was in Alicante, I took the chance to share some translation exprience with students at the University of Alicante, holding a workshop on the theme of theatre translation into Spanish.  I look forward to running another workshop on the same theme at the University of Warwick later this year, and to discussing the profession of translating drama with delegates at the annual conference of the Institute of Translators and Interpreters in May.

This post is becoming too lengthy so three quick bits to finish off:  thank you to the University of Tartu, Estonia, for a fascinating conference on translating drama, which I thoroughly enjoyed presenting at in December; keep your eyes on Out of the Wings as we announce very soon the dates and venue for our 2019 festival, and last but most certainly not least, I am thrilled at the brilliant news that Blanca Doménech’s urgent play The Sickness of Stone will be featuring in June at Columbia University’s international play reading festival 2019.

That’s more than enough for one post! I will try to make the next one sooner, and shorter.