France-England World Cup (Literature) 2014

A night of mild Anglo-French baiting takes place at the Institut  Français  this May - but this isn’t the football World Cup, it’s a night enjoying some of the best literature and poetry from either side of La Manche.

Niamh Cusack and Sabine Haudepin, two actors from either side of the language barrier (although Cusack’s actually Irish) take the audience through literary genres and centuries of texts from Moliere to Shakespeare and Voltaire to Byron to explore this unique relationship.

Cusack most recently starred in the National Theatre’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time , originating the role of the teacher Siobhan where she gained critical acclaim. She’s up against Haudepin, a double Cesar-nominated actress (that’s the French Oscars to you and me) whose film credits run back all the way to Truffaut’s Jules et Jim, but she’s also prolific on the Parisian stage.

The newly-renovated Mediatheque should provide an ideal poetic retreat from the jingoistic tendencies often found in World Cup season, and this event’s even more special as part of the launch for the new Reading Room at the Institut Français. It’s also part of the new En Scene series, presenting theatrical performance to Londoners in French – although those not invested in the lingua franca will find equal performance from Cusack in English.

There’s also the chance to bring your own favourite literary piece to Le Bistrot, the Institut’s French-style café-restaurant, to celebrate the entente cordiale – or to toast the enemy grudgingly.

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Culture Whisper members are entitled to a £2 discount when booking online by entering the promo code whisper