Truth be told, translation wasn’t part of the original plan – despite what the name Foreign Affairs might suggest. But a year into our journey, we quite literally stumbled upon a play that changed everything – and we haven’t looked back since.

In 2010, a chance encounter with a Danish play – spotted while walking through Copenhagen – led to our first foray into translation: Lejemorderen (The Contract Killer) by Benny Andersen. Translated by Paul Russell Garrett, staged in London, and later published by Norvik Press, it marked the beginning of what would become a defining strand of our work.

Since then, translation has become central to how we make theatre – not just as a tool, but as a way of thinking. For us, plays in translation are spaces of encounter: between languages, cultures, and perspectives. They invite us to rethink the stories we tell and how we tell them.

These encounters also open up space for connection and conversation – helping us see the world, and ourselves, a little differently.

In 2016, we launched our Theatre Translator Mentorship: a programme of workshops and mentoring for emerging theatre translators. Since then, we’ve expanded this strand of our work through creative labs, masterclasses, and workshops rooted in our translation practice.

This page offers an insight into how we approach theatre in translation – and the people and processes behind it.

by the numbers

Since 2010, we’ve:

Presented 18 plays in translation – including 10 UK or world premieres
Introduced the work of 45 playwrights from 26 countries to London audiences
Contributed to the development of 48 new English-language playtexts through our productions and translation initiatives
Collaborated with 41 translators, working across 21 source languages

translators as creative collaborators

Translators are at the heart of our creative process. They’ve introduced us to plays from around the world and remain key collaborators throughout – from early conversations to being in the room during rehearsals, offering vital linguistic and cultural insight.

For us, translators are theatre-makers – not just bridges between languages, but co-creators shaping how a play lives and breathes in English.

At times, we work directly with the playwright alongside the translator. Having both in the room creates a dynamic space for shared authorship – a rare chance for language, translation, and theatre-making to unfold collaboratively, in the moment.

key collaborators & partners

Our translation practice is shaped by a growing community of practitioners, researchers, and partners – many of whom we’ve worked with for years. Some have been with us since the beginning; others joined as mentees, collaborators, or co-conspirators along the way. Together, they’ve helped define how we approach translation – as both a craft and a conversation.

Core Translation Collaborators
Our Wider Translation Community

Core Translation Collaborators

These following long-term collaborators continue to be key voices in our translation work:

Paul Russell Garrett: Our unofficial head of translation and most prolific collaborator (his first professional translation helped launch our mentorship programme). Let’s just say he has a strong Danish connection – both on and off the page.
William Gregory: Founding mentor and ongoing contributor to our mentorship programme and wider translation practice.
Charis Ainslie: Former mentee turned mentor and now an integral part of our translation practice. Charis regularly co-facilitates workshops and Lab sessions.
Jozefina Komporaly: Alumna of the very first edition of our Theatre Translator Mentorship and an ongoing partner in many aspects of our work.
Almiro Andrade: Long-standing collaborator and mentor on our 2025 mentorship programme.

Our Wider Translation Community

This network also includes our mentorship alumni (23 translators and counting), as well as the Lab translators – a collective formed during the 2020 lockdowns to support experienced theatre translators through readings, text laboratories, and peer-led workshops.

Our academic partnerships have also played a vital role in shaping our approach. We’ve worked with institutions including University College London, King’s College London, and the University of the Arts London, as well as through our ongoing collaboration with Performing International Plays, led by Margherita Laera at the University of Kent. We’re also in continued dialogue with the brilliant Out of the Wings collective, whose shared passion for theatre in translation continues to inspire us.

In 2025, we partnered with Jermyn Street Theatre in the West End to present our mentorship showcase – and we hope it’s just the beginning.

You can explore more about our partnerships – here.

industry events

Beyond our productions, we’ve collaborated with cultural institutions on a number of industry-focused events. Highlights include:

A showcase spotlighting playwriting from Flanders, delivered in partnership with Flanders Literature and Flanders House, featuring visiting playwrights and a panel discussion. Plays included: Uproar by Freek Mariën, translated by David McKay; Vanish Beach by the DE HOE Collective, translated by Nadine Malfait; Platinum/Unison by Abke Haring, translated by David McKay; and Sartre & De Beauvoir by Stefaan Van Brabandt, translated by Rina Vergano.
An industry event centred on The Earth’s Core by Simone Isabel Nørgaard, translated by Paul Russell Garrett, co-presented with the Royal Danish Embassy in London. The event included a panel discussion with Matthew Xia (Actors Touring Company), Sissi Lichtenstein (International Performing Rights Ltd), and Callan McCarthy (then at Bloomsbury Publishing).

recent productions

Black Swans

by Christina Kettering
Translated by Pauline Wick

The Wetsuitman

by Freek Mariën
Translated by David McKay

Where I Call Home

by Marc-Antoine Cyr
Translated by Charis Ainslie

The Warmhouse

by Anna Bro
Translated by Paul Russell Garrett

The Blind One & The Mad One

by Cláudia Barral
Translated by Almiro Andrade

The Unburied

by András Visky
Translated by Jozefina Komporaly

opportunities for translators

Our Theatre Translator Mentorship, launched in 2016, is perhaps what we’re best known for internationally. Across six editions, we’ve mentored 23 emerging theatre translators working on plays from around the globe — including our most recent cohort, which featured playwrights from Kenya, Japan, Chile, and Sweden. In total, our mentees have worked across sixteen languages.

So far, we’ve produced four mentorship plays, and alumni have gone on to collaborate with leading venues and companies, including UK theatres like the Royal Court Theatre, New Earth Theatre, and Theatre 503, as well as international venues in Chicago, Ithaca NY, and Tokyo.

You can read more about our Theatre Translator Mentorship here and explore our translation-focused workshops and creative sessions here, which draw directly from our translation practice and the spirit of the mentorship.

conferences & talks

We never get tired of discussing theatre in translation and eagerly embrace every opportunity to do so. Over the years, we’ve spoken at conferences in the UK and internationally. These include:

International Translation Day at the British Library (2016, 2017)
Out of the Wings Forum (2017, 2019, 2023, 2025)
ALTA41: Performance, Props, and Platforms (American Literary Translator Association) (2018)
Brexit Stage Left at Central School of Speech & Drama (2019)

These engagements are part of how we reflect on and evolve our own practice — through conversation, research, and exchange.

let's work together

We love working with people who share our curiosity and values. If you’re exploring new ways of thinking about theatre, translation, or cross-cultural collaboration – we’d love to hear from you.

Co-create with us
Got a project, production, or idea rooted in translation or cultural exchange – or just starting to explore one? Whether you’re an academic, artist, company or organisation, we’re open to collaborations that align with our ethos.

Invite us to speak
We regularly take part in panels, talks, and symposiums – sharing our experience of working with translated plays, cross-cultural collaboration, and inclusive, process-led practice.

Create a workshop together
With over a decade of experience working with plays in translation, we design and deliver workshops, masterclasses, and tailored consultancy grounded in our hands-on, collaborative approach to theatre-making and cross-cultural exchange.

Drop us a line at team@foreignaffairs.org.uk – we’d love to start a conversation.

theatre in translation