David Furlong, the Mauritian-born actor and director currently directing at the Young Vic (Five Plays 2021), celebrates Exchange Theatre’s 15th anniversary by taking audiences behind the scenes of their 2018 production of Molière’s Misanthrope.
The unique backstage documentary, IN Exchange, is now available to view on-demand via the Living Record digital arts platform.
“IN Exchange is a reminder of all the theatre companies creating work to feed London’s once-thriving fringe scene and the hope it will soon be flourishing once more” – The Reviews Hub
The West End and blockbuster musicals like Les Misérables may be what first come to mind when thinking of London theatre. Take a look beyond the grand and conspicuous, and discover the bubbling underground ecosystem of artists which truly make London theatre great.
Chronicling French-English bilingual company Exchange Theatre’s four-month preparation of their 2018 reimagining of the Molière classic and double-Offie nominated Misanthrope (Best Production and Best Video Design) from auditions to performance, IN Exchange acts as a manifesto for a mould-breaking theatre.
“We must applaud the idea of theatre reflecting the disquieting uncertainty of our times; this company does that with a real punch” – The Spy in the Stalls
Be immersed in an innovative, multicultural and inherently political process that aims to share a new creative vision in tune with the 21st century. The film also delves into the day-to-day lives and thoughts of cast and crew in the sometimes trying context of producing lower-scale theatre in London. Through the hardships, however, emerges a sense of community and togetherness only art can create.
The Misanthrope cast and creatives featured in IN Exchange are Samuel Arnold, James Buttling, Fanny Dulin, Léo Elso, David Furlong, David Manson, Marie Miscopein, Simeon Oakes, Clara Quentin and Anoushka Rava.
The French-language film with English subtitles is directed and edited by Marie Loury and Léo-Paul Payen to create a cinematic experience, with original soundscapes by Léo-Paul Payen.
Sneak-peek videos
About Exchange Theatre
Exchange Theatre is an international company first established in 2006 in London to translate and produce unknown or rare French plays in English and which now works on devised multilingual theatre and translations. With the use of strong visual imagery and multilingualism, the productions offer the audience the opportunity to share a true sensorial experience.
Exchange Theatre
Exchange Theatre is convinced that to promote Francophone culture, it has to be reclaimed, readapted and reinvented every day. For 15 years, the company has been creating a true community of theatregoers and creatives around this purpose.
Since 2007, Triple Offie-nominated Exchange Theatre has held an annual festival (including Misanthrope 2018, The Flies 2020). With no festival for two years due to Covid, over the course of multiple lockdowns, the company took on the challenge of reinventing itself. IN Exchange is their first venture into filmmaking as they increasingly shift focus to the digital and online aspects of their work.
