I am a foreigner.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, I studied at the University of Basel before training at the International Theatre School Jaques Lecoq in Paris, where I also attended its L.E.M (Laboratoire Etude de Movement)

In 1994 I moved to England and co-founded Hoipolloi Theatre with Shon Dale-Jones.

HOIPOLLOI

Hoipolloi presented 22 shows in over 160 venues in 17 countries across 6 continents and closed in 2020.

I designed and performed in all of Hoipolloi's ensemble shows.I have also designed and co-directed Hoipolloi's award-winning collaborations with Hugh Hughes.

Most recently I was the collaborative director on Shon Dale-Jones's show POSSiBLE, an online-live-stream event with the National Theatre of Wales.
for more on directing see CV's

Projects

Outside Hoipolloi I developed and toured some of my own projects. Prelude To a Coat was developed with The Junction in Cambridge and UNCONDITIONAL was a Collaboration with my daughter Josie Dale-Jones and her company ThisEgg.
Both shows received funding from the Arts Council England and toured in the UK.

Work with other companies

Over the past 15 + years I have collaborated as an actress and or designer with a number of companies. Most frequently I've worked with NIE (New International Encounters), Metis Arts, Menagerie Theatre Company and ThisEgg.
For more information please see the CV's link or go to my Spotlight page here.

In General

I am - and have been working as a free-lance actress, designer and workshop leader in the UK, France, Switzerland, USA and Greece ... or wherever else it takes me.

Teaching Drama or Set-Design includes Drama lecturer at St Marys University in London, Homberton College (Universit of Cambridge) MA students at UEA (University at East Anglia) and at St.Philps academy in Andover,USA .

I've been teaching set design for the Theatre Arts foundation students at CATS (Cambridge School for Visual and Performing Arts).

and others.

Languages: My mother tongue is Swiss; I speak German, English and French - and I am learning Italian

Swiss is not a written language. More precise, it represents a variety of spoken Dialects.

When you are 7 years old you learn High-German at school. It does not always fit easily around the tongue and constructing sentences, I often felt like standing in front of a maze.

Later, as a teenager, you make sure not to sound too German when you have to speak in class, to avoid sounding pretentious. You hear your clumsy accent and feel slightly guilty for the abrasion to Goethes beautiful Words that you're reading out aloud . But you insist.

Now, after having lived abroad for over half of my life, all my conversations are tinted with an accent. Even when I return home, people detect something foreign.

Using language as a foreigner, you make some brilliant mistakes. In my first year in England ".... I went to the gobblers to impregnate* my shoes "; or ".... "I got stuck in a vicious circus!"

.....being a foreigner, you have the right to use your mistakes if you think them appropriate; I will keep the latter mistake. Being stuck in an arena with Joker like clowns, frantically juggling their grotesque smiles while some green eyed muscleman spits fire, making you jump through pink feathered loops.... now that is one hell of a vicious circle to be stuck in.