FFAct offers up the lighter side of theatre

Brussels´ French- and Dutch-language theatre companies, KVS and Théâtre National this week announced a joint programme for 2015-2016. Add to that a healthy crop of independent venues across the city, and there´s choice a-plenty for the most avid theatre-goer. In French. And, to a lesser extent, Dutch.

While language may be no barrier to enjoying an interpretative dance performance or checking out that music gig, a lack of linguistic know-how can put a serious downer on your passion for theatre. Enter stage right, the FFAct evenings hosted at the Théâtre Toison d´Or in Ixelles.

“Both Albert, the proprietor of the Théâtre Toison d´Or, and myself have known that feeling of being an expat.” says Joy Jouret, who organises the FFAct evenings. She Belgian but has gained  expat credentials living in New Zealand, Canada and the Netherlands.

“Looking at Brussels," she says, "we realised that, apart from cinema, concerts and of course the pub, the cultural entertainment in English isn´t what it could be. So we put together a few ideas and came up with a season programme offering English-language entertainment.”

FFAct stands for Fun, Food and ACTing. With an international improv match between the UK´s Racing Minds and the Belgian Improv League on the bill, the evening looked set to deliver on the fun and the acting.

Earlier this month, Racing Minds, the trio from across the channel who have been the toast of the Edinburgh Fringe in recent years, squared up against the home team. First keeping to their teams and later joining forces, they improvised over an hour of laughter and entertainment based on ideas harvested from the audience.

Surprising highlights included improv rapping by the British lads and the Belgian team's lampooning of musicals. Performing in English, the Belgians powered through this disadvantage with energy and verve. It was left to Racing Minds to play up the subtleties of semantics with an impressive improv in Shakespearian verse.

The post-show audience reaction? Morgane, Perrine and Sarah, a trio of friends, declared it a good night out. “The British made me laugh with their clever word-play. I think the Belgians have a more physical approach to improv,” Perrine commented.

A group of teachers of English from St Michel´s School were chuffed with their evening of entertainment in English. “If only we could find ways to get our students into English-language theatre,” they joked.

The FFAct crew´s next encounter is with British comic, Stephen K Amos. This “maestro of feel-good comedy” will bring his 'Welcome to my World' show to Brussels on 4 June.