Courgette Volante Theatre

Dramatic Changes For North Yorks Company

Ever wondered what Romeo and Juliet would sound like in French?

Secondary school pupils across North Yorkshire and beyond could soon find out, as a North Yorkshire theatre company set up to make foreign languages more accessible to pupils across the North of England re-launches and begins to tap into international markets.

With support and guidance from UK Trade & Investment, the Danby-based Courgette Volante Theatre is now in the throes of rebranding and marketing with plans to expand into foreign markets. Business advisers supported the company in its exploration of potential target markets and put them in touch with approved marketing consultants to help with the rebranding exercise.

The theatre, which will soon be rebranded as The Flying Theatre Company, puts on productions of Shakespeare and Moliere, as well as its own productions in French and German that aim to motivate learning through drama whilst introducing the audience to a new language.

Owner Peter Welburn and project development manager Debbie Swales, first made contact with York and North Yorkshire Business Link in October 2004. The support they received has helped them to develop a new brand identity and website to better reflect their business personality and future objectives. Says Debbie, “We’ve had great support from Tony Hurlow, who has provided us with support for translations and export guidance via UK Trade & Investment, including formulating questionnaires to carry out research into French and German markets.”

Tony Hurlow, the UKTI International Trade adviser at Business Link who provided the aforementioned support through the UKTI Passport to Export Scheme, says, “The company has the capability to sell to other markets but it was important to identify demand and to look carefully at the needs of other countries. The research which it is carrying out at the moment has already highlighted a requirement for the services which is a huge boost for its future development.”

For further information, contact: Tony Hurlow on 01904 656769