Languages

A Wonderful Celebration of French Language and Theatre 

On Friday 14th August, our Years 9 and 10 French students stepped out of the classroom and onto the stage — well, almost! They had the pleasure of attending Melbourne French Theatre’s latest production, Il était un petit navire, a play fresh from Paris, which was served up with veritable energy, wit and theatrical flair.  

Students travelled to the “Maison de Maître” theatre venue in Carlton, where they were transported into the wonderfully unpredictable world of live French theatre. They heard French spoken naturally, at full theatrical speed, experienced the immediacy of a live performance and, most importantly, discovered that French is considerably more exciting when there is a stage, a cast, and a captive audience involved! 

And the fun did not stop when the curtain fell. Our students enthusiastically joined the cast after the performance, singing in French with the actors, chatting about the show, and offering les cartes de remerciement (“thank you” cards) to the actors.  

Melbourne French Theatre (MFT) has been bringing French language and culture to Australian audiences for almost 50 years – almost as long as Australians have been enjoying Molière!  Next year, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. We are thrilled to support this remarkable institution and to give our students the chance to experience the joy, spontaneity and sheer magic of French theatre firsthand. 

It was an afternoon that reminded us that learning a language is about far more than mastering verbs and memorising vocabulary. It is about stepping through the curtain into another culture, hearing another world come to life, and discovering that sometimes the best classroom has a stage, a spotlight and a little je ne sais quoi. 

Catherine Considine 

French teacher  

Last week, we went to see a play at the Melbourne French Theatre. It was a great experience to see people interacting in French for an extended period of time. I was able to gradually stop reading the English surtitles as the show went on and became fully immersed in the show. It was an enjoyable performance and a great opportunity to experience French culture and improve my connection with the French language. 

Brianna Liss, Year 10 

The French theatre excursion was great!  

While viewing the play, I was heavily relying on the English surtitles because the dialogue was in depth and often complex, but I was absolutely recognising words along the way and trying to comprehend without looking at the surtitles.  

All of the actors performed very well! And at the end we got a chance to hear from the actors and guess who the native speakers were... at least three actors were not native speakers! It was quite hard to tell that they weren’t native speakers. The idea is that if we pursue French, we too could become fluent like them!  

Finally, the actors themselves were all very pleasant. My friend and I made a thank-you card together which got held up like a trophy by one of the actors. 

This was a great, interactive excursion and I'd love to do more things like this in French! 

Clementine Campbell, Year 10  

2028 Eltham High School France Tour  – l’aventure vous attend!  

Bonjour! We are thrilled to announce that planning is officially underway for the 2028 Eltham High School France Tour. 

Imagine standing beneath the Eiffel Tower, wandering through the gardens of Versailles, or ordering delicious pastries in a Parisian boulangerie. The 2028 France Tour promises to be an unforgettable adventure that combines language, history, culture and travel in one extraordinary experience. 

From world-famous museums and historic castles to bustling markets and authentic French cuisine, the tour promises to be an incredible adventure filled with learning, discovery and fun. 

To find out more about this exciting opportunity, students currently enrolled in Years 7 – 10 French and their families are warmly invited to attend our 2028 France Tour Information Evening. 

Monday 7 September 6:30 pm – 7:30pm in the Lower 100s Open Space 

Come along to hear about the proposed dates and itinerary, tour highlights, costs, inclusions and the registration process. We look forward to sharing our vision for what promises to be an extraordinary experience for our learners of French!  

À bientôt! 

CATHERINE CONSIDINE, French Teacher