Foreign Affairs has launched a fundraising campaign to secure the future of its Theatre Translator Mentorship, the only programme of its kind in the UK dedicated to supporting emerging theatre translators.
The Hackney-based company, which won the International Award at The Stage Awards 2026, is seeking to raise £10,000 after failing to secure foundation funding for the next edition of the scheme.
Since launching in 2016, the Theatre Translator Mentorship has supported 23 emerging translators working across 16 languages. Alumni have gone on to collaborate with organisations including the Royal Court and theatre companies in the UK and abroad.
The company says the funds will help place the mentorship on a sustainable footing by supporting specialist application writers, consultancy advice, production expertise and regular support for mentees.
Alongside the fundraising effort, Foreign Affairs has announced a series of upcoming initiatives, including an International Translation Day event with Jermyn Street Theatre on 1 October.
The event will bring together translators, theatre-makers and industry professionals for practical workshops, panel discussions and networking opportunities exploring how translated plays reach audiences in the UK.
Foreign Affairs will also continue its free Hackney workshops for young adults aged 18-30 with migration experience throughout October and November. The programme provides a creative space for participants while nurturing emerging theatre-makers, culminating in a community sharing in December.
In 2027, the company will once again partner with Italian cultural production company PAV to deliver the London edition of Playground, a European development programme supporting emerging playwrights through workshops, rehearsals and public showcases.
The company has also announced its return to producing theatre in spring 2027 with Rædsel (Horror, working title), written by acclaimed Danish playwright Anna Bro and translated by Paul Russell Garrett.
The production, set to be staged at the Rose Lipman building in Hackney, marks Foreign Affairs’ first production at its home venue in three years. The play offers a darkly comic exploration of anxiety, personifying it as a voice that invades the thoughts and actions of its protagonist.
Co-Artistic Director Trine Garrett said: “Nearly 16% of the UK population was born abroad, and in London that figure is closer to 40%*. Yet less than 5% of the productions on our stages are in translation. That gap tells you that translated theatre is still hugely undervalued, even though it’s one of the most direct ways theatre has to bring other cultures and perspectives into the room.
“This year, without foundation funding, we’ve had to put our Theatre Translator Mentorship’s 7th edition on hold – a hard decision to sit with as we mark its 10th anniversary, and a sharp reminder of just how fragile the structures supporting this work really are. It sits alongside everything else we do to open theatre up to different voices and experiences: our workshops with young adults with migration experience, our Playground residency with PAV, bringing European playwrights into dialogue with UK theatre-makers, and now, finally, getting back on stage ourselves after three years with Horror, a Danish play that speaks to something very universal in its own right. All of it comes from the same belief: that the stories worth telling don’t stop at the UK’s borders, and neither should the people telling them.”
Foreign Affairs is led by Camila França and Trine Garrett and specialises in presenting international plays in translation, alongside workshops, professional development programmes and mentorship opportunities for migrant and multilingual theatre-makers.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
