Over the past five years one of Frank Theatre’s core strategies has been to develop an international presence by going beyond the standard paradigm of performance touring.

Our strategy has been to develop regional performances as an extension of our international workshops, with particular respect to multilingual and multicultural presentations using international actors alongside those of Frank. This strategy has local and international benefits by developing stable but expanding intercultural relationships more profound work is possible, Frank has become more politically and artistically valuable to the international theatre communities with which it is collaborating and all members of Frank Theatre gain access to other cultural and artistic models and influences.

Many of Frank Theatre’s productions devised, as they are, for potential cross-cultural production, continue to allow Frank Theatre to develop further exciting relationships with the actors and artists of Europe and Asia. In February 2003 Frank presented a Double Bill EuroFrank/AsiaFrank at the Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse, featuring collaborations with visiting Croatian actors in the presentation of The Royal Fair by Croatian playwright Miroslav Krleza, and an in-house Frank Theatre workshop presentation of Giselle Mk 1 developed by visiting Japanese Butoh artist, Katsura Kan

International actor training workshops, conducted by co-directors John Nobbs and Jacqui Carroll, have been held in Croatia, Czech Republic, Wales, London, Mongolia, Denmark and continue to attract theatre professionals and students of drama from a large cross-section of countries. In 2002 participants to the Croatia Workshop came from Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Romania, Slovenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Australia, Czech Republic and Croatia. Where possible, multilingual performance outcomes are conducted within this annual global training/teaching program, which, after the 2003 Toga Festival international collaboration, now includes Japanese actors,

Participants in Frank Theatre’s annual International Frank Suzuki Performance Aesthetics/Suzuki Actor Training Workshop held within our Summer Arts Program at the Brisbane Powerhouse get to develop their skills alongside visiting internationals further broadening Queensland’s international arts outreach. These Australian students of theatre, both drama and dance, who participate in our annual workshops and weekly training form a strong element in our audience development strategy.

In 2006 Frankly Acting, an autobiography of the Frank/Suzuki Performance Aesthetics, written by John Nobbs was published. Since 1992 Frank Theatre has used, as the basis of its creative process, Frank Suzuki Performance Aesthetics (FSPA). John has been developing the FSPA over many years as a Western evolution of the Suzuki Actor Training Method (SATM) and this book outlines the inspirational history of the evolution of the FSPA from its parent, the SATM.

In 2007 Frank Theatre will add the USA, and Malaysia to its international workshop and performance trail.

See History for details of past international workshops and cultural exchanges.