Head for Heights is a theatre company dedicated to reinvigorating approaches
to theatre translation. We produce plays by significant non-English playwrights
from diverse theatrical traditions to which UK audiences have had little or no
exposure. Our specific focus is on work which examines the increasing number
of peoples and communities worldwide whose lives are lived on the economic
and social margins.
We take a unique and highly effective collaborative approach to translation: we
use workshops to access the experience and knowledge of actors and
community participants to develop translations which are culturally appropriate
for British audiences (including those who do not typically go to the theatre),
whilst maintaining the integrity of the original play.
This approach has gained the support of the National Theatre Studio, Amnesty
International, King's College London, and theatres such as the Bush Theatre,
Theatre503 and York Theatre Royal. Our work has received coverage in major
media outlets, including The Guardian and Time Out.
Recent projects include a workshop and rehearsed reading of Spider Girls by Luis Barrales at The Cervantes Theare (2019), Karl Marx, Year
Zero by Benjamin Galemiri at King’s College London (2018). A production of
Mad Man Sad Woman at The Space (2017), the development of which was
ACE funded, which the Guardian described as ‘increasingly perturbing and
powerful’. And a critically acclaimed production of Beasts by Juan Radrigán at
Theatre503, which garnered sold out houses. These are all British premieres of
the plays in translation and help connect Latin - American communities within the UK, as well provide working opportunities for those within the performing arts world.
