A Guide to Directing Multilingual Theatre

About this manual

This document is a short guide written by Noah Birksted-Breen, a play director and translator of Russian plays. It addresses future theatre directors with thoughts on directing foreign-language dramas, aiming to be both encouraging and realistic about the challenges involved.

What's inside

• Advocacy for foreign-language plays
• Travel to source countries
• Understanding original performance culture
• Finding allies among directors and translators
• Avoiding stereotypes
• Directing a diverse range of plays
• Persistence and realism

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of productions on UK stages are translated plays?

Only about 2.5% of productions on UK stages are translated plays.

How often should a director travel to the country where they want to find new plays?

The author recommends travelling at least once a year to the country.

What genres of Russian plays did the author translate for a festival?

The author translated plays ranging from naturalist dramas to sci-fi thrillers.