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who we are

The people behind Foreign Affairs — and what drives us.

Foreign Affairs is a theatre company with an adventurous spirit, led by Camila França (Brazil/Portugal) and Trine Garrett (Denmark). We’re based at the Rose Lipman Building in Hackney, East London.

We stage international plays in translation – work that resonates across languages, cultures, and communities. You’ll often find us in unexpected spaces – creating close-up encounters between global stories and local audiences.

We also share our practice through workshops, training, and mentorship – especially with young and early-career migrant and multilingual theatre-makers and translators.

Working with artists, translators, and communities from diverse backgrounds – and through partnerships with local groups, academia, and industry – we challenge whose voices are heard and who gets to belong on UK stages and beyond.

our story

We – Camila and Trine – met on an acting course in 2008. We both called London home, but in the industry, we felt like outsiders – forever cast in cultural stereotypes. We wanted more.

And just like that, the idea for Foreign Affairs was born.

In August 2010, we staged our first show in a derelict pub in Hackney Wick – more used to raves than theatre. We had no running water, no electricity, and absolutely no clue how to produce a show. But we had a knack for problem-solving, a healthy dose of stubbornness, and a motley crew of friends who helped make it happen.

We can’t share the whole story (some details are best left in the past), but it involved rain through the roof, a motion-sensor work light, and 150 audience members with BYO wine. It was chaotic and truly magical – the kind of magic only live theatre can deliver.

We’ve learned a lot since that night – mostly by doing things the wrong way first. But that DIY spirit, that sense of adventure, playfulness, and collaboration, has never left us. It’s still at the heart of our practice (even as we age).

our people

Foreign Affairs is, day to day, a two-woman band – small but fiercely passionate, and fuelled by a belief in theatre’s power to connect people across borders.

We work closely with a trusted network of more than 35 freelance collaborators who help bring our projects to life. These include our core associate artists – Eugenia Low, Franck Jeuffroy, Ria Samartzi, and Youness Bouzinab – and translators Charis Ainslie and Paul Russell Garrett, alongside a brilliant mix of playwrights, translators, designers, dramaturgs, facilitators, producers, and others we regularly collaborate with.

Collaboration is at the heart of our process – we work like an ensemble, both creatively and behind the scenes. We dream of growing our core team one day, running Foreign Affairs and making theatre together in one space (or wherever the work takes us!). For now, we’re building things, show by show, project by project – always in conversation with the brilliant freelancers, artists, and translators we work alongside.

our partners & collaborators

From the very beginning, partnerships have been central to how we work — placing translation and cross-cultural collaboration at the heart of our work. We’ve been lucky to work with a wide range of local and international organisations who share our belief in the power of language and theatre.

Some highlights include:

  • One of our first translation projects with UCL’s Scandinavian Department, exploring two short plays by Strindberg
  • An adaptation of Professor Bernhardi, created in collaboration with academics from the AHRC-funded Schnitzler Digital Edition Project
  • An industry showcase of playwriting from Flanders, with Flanders Literature and Flanders House
  • Multiple creative workshops with Tropical Isles Carnival Group, our neighbours at the Rose Lipman Building
  • Our ongoing collaboration with the Performing International Plays project, led by Dr Margherita Laera

For more on our partnership projects – or if you’re interested in working with us – head to our dedicated partnerships page.

how we work

Collaboration, playfulness, and a spirit of adventure drive everything we do. We create site-responsive productions that transform unexpected spaces into places of performance – inviting audiences to step into new worlds.

Our process is hands-on, people-focused, and always evolving. Whether it’s a full-scale production or a rehearsed reading, we treat every project as a space for encounter – across languages, cultures, and perspectives.

Our work is shaped by a few guiding principles – simple, but central to everything we do:

  1. Theatre at the Heart, People at the Centre
  2. Collaborative Creativity and Bold Play
  3. A Safer, More Welcoming Space for All

These values underpin both our artistic approach and how we work with others – from collaborators to communities.

Learn more about what we do and our commitments in practice.

All the ways to find and reach us.

Email, location and access info — all in one place.

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