We believe in a theatre without borders bringing stories from everywhere to people anywhere.
LegalAliens is an international theatre ensemble based in London. Since 2010 we’ve been focusing on:
- Original translations of contemporary European theatre: One of the strengths of the London scene is its multi-culturalism and we are working to keep alive this incredible crucible of creativity. We also believe in a theatre that is international not only in its content but in its outreach, and our statement as artists is to keep building bridges between people and cultures, focusing on what brings us together as human beings.
Our goal is first of all artistic: we want to demystify “European” theatre, getting rid of that label of intellectualism it is often associated with. Our shows are thought provoking and clever but also entertaining, moving, accessible. Stories are stories, no matter where they come from.
Our goal, whether we like it or not, is also political. When we first started the company, we had no idea Europe would be at the centre of such a heated debate in the UK. We were a group of international artists and it came natural to us to start our journey talking about places we knew. But recent events have made our work feel urgent. The stories we tell, although set in “foreign” places, are universal as the human experience. They can move, entertain and interest all sorts of audiences. Theatre has no borders. And theatre, since its very beginning, has been a place for communities to get together, share, talk. Come and share. Engage with us, challenge us, this is what we are looking for. All theatre is at its chore political.
- Physical theatre performances inspired by Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, employing classical, poetic and non-dramatic texts as an inspiration. Our productions push the boundaries of languages, genres and styles, mixing idioms, naturalism and surrealism, physical theatre and text, live performance and video.
- An array of workshops to reinforce our vision of theatre as a place to share knowledge, empower people and learn new skills. From Forum theatre for communities, to Learn foreign Language through theatre, to Workshops for international actors in collaboration with the Actors Centre we’re proud of being a place for actors and non actors to meet, share and express themselves. Please watch an intro to our workshops here:
Our company was endorsed by playwright and Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo:
“Having met some of the actors belonging to LegalAliens, I was awestruck by their enthusiasm. Their starting point, the themes and the way they embrace their work are definitely to be encouraged, to enable this group to contribute to bringing European tradition, culture and history to the forefront of the British theatre. So be brave! You are in a country that has always been open to new ideas and culturally fervent projects. SUERTE! And a big hug.”
Current show: POKER FACE, by Petr Kolečko
★★★★★Raw edged and relevant ★★★★ Combines aspects of physical theatre with unique interpretations ★★★★ The work of a confident theatrical imagination ★★★★Very funny and sophisticated
