Le Colombier at Les Cabannes, near Cordes

Friends of English Theatre /  The Pidgin Club ?

22 February 2014

Dear Friends,​​​​​​​​​

We thought you might like to know that the delightful Colombier theatre in Les Cabannes is now owned by the Communauté de Communes of Cordes-Vaour.  A local association managing thetheatre has put together an initial 2013-14 programme and is keen to involve the English-speaking community. We are looking to see whether there is interest in hosting professional shows or plays in English, sufficient to justify creating a theatre club whose members would receive information, attend performances or join a discussion or activity afterward.

Le Colombier is a technically well-appointed theatre, converted from a tannery by Pierre Nicole,a former resident of Cordes, but it has been without operational funding since he returned to Switzerland. The theatre has a raked auditorium seating 125, a bar and café, a terraced gardenand living accommodation for performers, as well as a large car park. We are fortunate to have such an amenity here in the Tarn, and English-speaking residents could no doubt find this venueattractive as a meeting place and a centre for cultural events, plays or recitals in a similar way tothe local French volunteers who have taken up its management.

The opportunity for one-man Shows was raised by Donald Douglas, who has persuaded fellow actor Michael Pennington to consider holding his renowned Shakespeare show : Sweet William.

Soprano Rosamund Shelley has two shows with piano accompanist : one of Shakespeare songsand speeches, and another of songs in English, French and German from the First World War.Chris Hatton, who has already appeared with success in Toulouse, has an acclaimed show aboutWill Kemp, Elizabethan clown a theatre figure who fell out with William Shakespeare.

We shall be making some phone calls, asking amongst some two hundred residents in the area whether this kind of fare would appeal ? One of us may therefore phone to ask whether and what level of involvement in theatre might be the case for you : attending a performance, staying for a supper, taking part in a reading or discussion group, for example ?  By letting us know, this willhelp to establish an idea of numbers before we commit to this venture.  

We hope that you will decide to join us in some way – and we believe it could be fun !

Best wishes from

Joanna Boegner, Judith Kent and Donald Douglas

Val says I would like to be Friend of the Theatre and what an exciting prospect. I hope Theatre groups in the area will also want to be involved. I know of one really successful group run by Jean Louis ( cannot remember his surname, but I am sure a reader will supply it ) 
More power to your elbows, Joanna, Judith and Donald and if TAG can do anything to help with promotion you can rely on me. I will pass this information on to the Fifi group whose members I am sure will be interested. I could not put a finger on Donald Douglas till I googled him

Donald Douglas (born 7 March 1933) is a Scottish actor who has appeared in films and many well known television shows includingDoctor Who, Blake's 7, and The Avengers.

He was educated at Falkirk High School, Edinburgh College of Art and RADA. His first professional stage appearance was at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. He then appeared in repertory theatres in England and on the West End stage.

His film appearances include A Bridge Too Far (1977), Highlander: Endgame (2000) and the role of Admiral Darcy in the Bridget Jones's Diary movies.

He played Tsar Alexander I in the 1972 BBC television adaptation of War and Peace, starring Anthony Hopkins. In 1992 he played Franklin Clarke in the Agatha Christie's Poirot movie The ABC Murders. He has also played Dr. Gordon McKendrick on several episodes of Monarch of the Glen, and has appeared in episodes of EastEnders, Kavanagh QC and Casualty.

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