Taking place in November, Voila! Theatre Festival features international, multilingual and migrant-led performances, across eight London venues; bringing together 450 artists across more than 100 events that champion cultural exchange, creativity and diverse voices. We sat down for an exclusive interview with Co-Director Katharina Reinthaller and Fae Fichtner to discuss the upcoming festival.
Voila! Theatre Festival runs from 2-22nd November across London. Tickets are available here.
Voila! brings together 101 shows and events in 60 languages; what does a multilingual approach to theatre make possible that traditional English-language programming often cannot?
Katharina: Artists working across different languages are often very good at creating moments that connect with audiences in a unique way, beyond understanding. It is in these liminal spaces, often without any spoken words, that audiences and artists meet each other and truly experience that unique ‘here and now’ moment that sits at the core of theatre. I sometimes miss this in the work I see on British Stages, where I find things can be overexplained, linear and flat.There seems to be a fear of miscomprehension, even beyond the language, where audiences are not seen as active parts of a performance. For me theatre is not to be understood. It is a medium, a conversation, a reciprocal event – a shared experience.
The festival champions migrant-led work and underrepresented artists; how do you ensure these voices are given space to shape the programme rather than simply being represented within it?
Katharina: The festival is programmed via an open call within the umbrella of focussing on panlingual and migrant led work. We don’t set a strict criteria for a show to be part of Voila. We want artists to apply with the ideas that inspire them, so they can bring the work that truly matters to them. In their own language, their own accent, sometimes only for their own communities. It really is the artists that shape the Voila programme, that is one of the things I love most about running the festival.
Fae: We are lucky to get more and more extraordinary applications each year. We plan to expand our network of venues to give more space to these shows and encourage artists to be bold and boisterous with their work.
With more than half the programme performed in multiple languages, how do subtitles and surtitles influence the relationship between performers and audiences?
Katharina: Doing a show that mostly relies on surtitles can be difficult. The operator needs to be able to react to the performers and audience members with intricate knowledge of the show and perfect timing. That’s not an easy thing to do. We don’t tend to get many shows that solely rely on surtitles though, we rather find that artists are very creative with the translation or surtitling within the concept of their show.
Fae: In film or TV we accept surtitles much more readily and I hope it becomes a little more mainstream in theatre too. The great thing with theatre shows being live events is that one doesn’t need to understand everything – performance, body language and expression can easily convey the message in a much more intricate way.
Voila! describes itself as a meeting point for cultures and perspectives; how do you balance celebrating cultural difference with exploring the experiences that connect us?
Fae: Connection stems as much from difference as it does from similarities. It just takes a different perspective. Seeing someone on stage who does not look like you, speak like you or share your cultural background face the same problems as you do is what shapes our sense of identity. I think representing as many perspectives as possible in a shared creative space and offering space for shared emotion is the key. Looking around on our commute we see so many different people taking the same train. What we don’t have time or capacity for is recognising the beauty and variety our fellow commuters represent. Going to a night at Voila! allows for that moment and sits at the core of our ethos.
At a time of funding pressures and ongoing debates around inclusion, what role do you believe fringe theatre festivals can play in challenging the wider industry’s conventions?
Katharina: The UK Fringe scene is quite unique – no other country I have worked in shares a creative and buzzing scene of that scope. The Fringe plays a crucial role in the development of artists; a lot of very successful people in the industry took their first steps there. Yet it gets far too little coverage and acknowledgment by the wider industry and I feel is often not taken seriously … Oh, Fringe. But the truth is that a lot of inventive theatre happens on the fringe. Despite the even greater financial burdens, which often lie on the artists themselves.
Fae: Fringe Festivals are like the fish swarm that can swim amongst the sharks, together we are stronger, can generate more traction and attract producers and venues operating on a larger scale.
Following record-breaking ticket sales in 2025, how do you hope Voila! will continue to change audiences’ expectations of whose stories belong on stage and which languages theatre can speak?
Katharina: When we’re programming Voila! we’re looking for shows that are unlikely to find a platform anywhere else, whether that is because of their concept, language or topic. So many different people come together in London, walking down your high street you likely hear a cacophony of different languages and accents. It is normal for people to buy their hummus from the Turkish grocer and their bread in the Jamaican bakery. Yet the capital’s stages don’t reflect that presence of diversity.
Fae: It means that a lot of people might not have heard their native language or accent on stage ever. And as a result don’t feel like a theatre is where they belong. At Voila, we want to change that!