This post is information of an historic nature. The Caen à l'international was an event attended by the Caen-Portsmouth Friendship Committee over the last few years in association with the King's Theatre in Southsea, among other attendees.
Here is press release from the King's Theatre with further information relating to all the photos in the photo gallery on this page:
'Caen à l’international' or 'la Semaine de la Solidarité Internationale' was an event held annually in the 'Place Saint Sauveur' square in the centre of Caen every November. As a festival event, it celebrated Caen’s international links with all the twinned cities being represented.
The programme featured fun, cultural and educational activities organised by the various twinning associations. The event also allowed the association presidents and international students, to meet and share ideas. The inhabitants of Caen were able discover different lifestyles and learn about the other twinned cities.
The Caen-Portsmouth Friendship Committee organised the the delegation and activities on behalf of Portsmouth. Performances were given by the Kings Youth Theatre, Victoryland Theatre Company, The Groundlings Theatre Company and The Portsmouth Music Hub.
An impressive stand was organised and staffed by volunteers from the Friendship committee and Albert Road Traders.
Here also is another press release dating from 2014:
A delegation of 35 including 24 performers from the King's Youth Theatre, Victory Land travelled to France from Portsmouth to participate in Caen’s annual International Festival on Saturday 15th November. The event featured performers from all of Caen’s twin cities in Senegal, USA, Macedonia, Germany, Romania and England.
Organised by the Caen committee, with the kind support of Brittany Ferries and Portsmouth City Council the group spent two nights in Caen returning on the Sunday evening ferry.
The festival, held in the town square, treated residents to songs from ‘Oh What a Lovely War’ and ‘Oliver’ jointly performed by the Kings and Victoryland youth theatres. Sam Cox, Portsmouth’s poet laureate, stilt walkers from Manic Stage Productions and Portsmouth mascots ‘Chipper’ (The News), ‘Nelson’ (Portsmouth Football Club) and ‘Kingsley’ (Kings Theatre) all added to the occasion.
Portsmouth also had an information stand in the square. Staffed by volunteers from the Albert Road Traders Association and the Caen-Portsmouth Friendship Committee, the Portsmouth City Council's information stand offered Caen residents info on Portsmouth’s retail and cultural attractions. The stand was well received and encouraged residents to visit our city whilst raising awareness regarding the many cycling routes we have across the city for those who prefer to travel on two wheels!
The action packed weekend gave the young people the chance to attend a war memorial museum in Caen, explore the city at its finest and perform in front of a large and diverse audience at the festival.
A successful weekend enjoyed by everyone involved!
Quotes.
Marisa Green, aged 15 from Kings Youth Theatre said: “Experiencing a different culture and gaining practical dramatic experience was great. The architecture in Caen is amazing.”
Contribution of this article by:
Kings Theatre,
Albert Road,
Southsea,
PO5 2QJ
Box Office: 02392 828282
Community Engagement: 02392 852218
Website: www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk
Social: Twitter.com/kingssouthsea
