All the world’s on stage for Paris players

International Players, based in the Paris suburbs of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Le Pecq in the Yvelines, are looking for new members to join their amateur English-speaking theatre group for the new season.

Auditions are being held this month for their May 2017 production of the musical Annie – and they need musicians and adult and child actors – and in particular several girls aged eight to 16 who enjoy singing and dancing for the roles of Annie and her friends. They are also always keen to attract people who are interested in set design, stage management, costumes, props, make-up, sound or lighting.

The group began in 1981 when parents at the Lycée International Saint-Germain-en-Laye decided to put on their own musical productions. It rapidly expanded to include members from neighbouring communes and Paris and they now produce at least one play and one musical every year.

Although the productions are in English, they are an international group, with more than 60 members coming from at least 12 different countries.

Fiona Morel has been a member for 18 years and says it is a very big friendly group: “What we aim to do is make our audience and members happy and get everybody to enjoy themselves.

“In the area where we live there is a shifting population and so we are keen to attract new members every year as others leave Paris. Some live here permanently while others are only here for a short time.

“Some have professional experience and others have none at all, but are keen to have a go in theatre. In Annie there’s room to have a lot of people on stage but we do also need more help with props and costumes.”

Mrs Morel says that International Players are very involved in the local cultural scene and are in close contact with local French and international schools – and provide teacher’s packs for their productions for English-language teachers.

They also raise money for charity: “In 2014 we put on Calendar Girls and made our own calendar which we sold in aid of a local children’s cancer ward and we managed to give them more than €8,000.”

Last year the group put on a successful production of The Addams Family where Mrs Morel says they attracted some good talent: “We had people from as far afield as Brazil and Sweden and the great thing is that in a musical it doesn’t matter if you don’t sound totally English.”

They are already in rehearsal for their next play to be performed in January 2017. It is Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis which is about the first English actresses who were allowed to take to the stage and included Nell Gwynne in 1669. Mrs Morel says it is both moving and comic.

Annie takes place in Roosevelt’s America and is a dream come true tale about an orphan who is adopted by a short-tempered billionaire with a big heart.

“What is really nice,is attracting new members,” says Mrs Morel. Prospective actors can email auditions@internationalplayers.co.uk and for behind the scenes, email resources@internationalplayers.co.uk

www.internationalplayers.co.uk