Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

pour être joué « hors les murs ».

English translation:

to be performed off-stage

Added to glossary by Yolanda Broad
Nov 25, 2002 22:56
21 yrs ago
15 viewers *
French term

pour être joué « hors les murs ».

Non-PRO French to English Art/Literary Theatre
Le spectacle a été conçu pour être joué « hors les murs ». Du public en attente surgissent des personnes que rien ne distingue et qui montent sur des chaises pour former le chœur qui lance les premières paroles.

Again, from a resumé of various modern theatre productions.

Discussion

Non-ProZ.com Nov 25, 2002:
Because of the inverted commas and theatrical context I am wondering if something more subtle than "outdoors" is implied

Proposed translations

+7
3 hrs
Selected

The play is supposed to be performed outside the traditional three-walls stage [or box set state]

HORS MURS in theatre refers to the fact that theatre in the 19th century came to be played on a stage that mimicked a closed room with one wall missing. It was a "box set" that was considered at the time the closest one could come to depicting "real life". Ibsen and the Russian whose name escapes me, are prime examples. Oh yes, Chekov. It continues even today in plays though set design has gone far beyond it with the revolutionary plays of Bertoldt Brecht in the early 20th century right up to Ariadne Mnouchkine in France (sorry can't spell her name) who completely changed theatrical "space" forever.....:)

In the way I have translated it there is no need for inverted commas.


Many years involved in the study of theater.....
Peer comment(s):

agree handslator
6 hrs
agree monigeha
6 hrs
agree Noel Castelino : Yes, and having read this, I withdraw my suggestion which was to have been "without barriers between actors and audience".
6 hrs
agree jerrie
7 hrs
agree writeaway
7 hrs
agree Bourth (X) : precisely
8 hrs
agree PaulaMac (X) : I was going to suggest "in the round" but they describe actors emerging from the audience - do you know a specific term for that Jane?
12 hrs
No, not specifically...in the round was one of the next set design ideas, emerging from the audience is fine.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks everyone. In the end I used a version of Jane's translation and added, "or 'without walls'" at the end."
3 mins

to be performed "outside"

HTH
Peer comment(s):

agree c4rmen (X)
13 mins
disagree Bourth (X) : The comment about the "audience" getting involved and the quotes suggest its not a matter of actual walls.
43 mins
Thank you for enlightening me
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+1
29 mins

off scene

dans le public, dans la salle, en dehors de la scène
Peer comment(s):

agree Bourth (X) : But I think a fuller description is needed
18 mins
Your right
Something went wrong...
+3
45 mins

go beyond the stage/cast

I don't think anything approaching a literal translation will work (I certainly can't think of anything). It seems to me they imply that the play is designed to "go beyond the stage (or the cast)", to "reach out beyond the footlights".
Peer comment(s):

agree Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X) : see my answer; have you studied theater design?
2 hrs
No, I'm just a smart kid ;-)
agree Noel Castelino : Yes. I think they want to dissolve the walls between the actors and the audience.
8 hrs
agree jerrie
9 hrs
Something went wrong...
-1
46 mins

in a country setting

The expression “hors les murs” is the translation of a Latin expression, literally meaning “outside the (city) walls”
As you mentioned, due to its particular context, I would suggest “in a country setting” or “in the midst of nature”.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-11-26 00:14:04 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Another possibility is “ a natural setting”

As for Bourth comment, “outside the walls” should be interpreted as “in a non conventional setting”.
Peer comment(s):

disagree Bourth (X) : See comments above
2 mins
Please see my note.
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+2
1 hr

off-stage

This is one interpretation, but it is difficult without fuller context.
It may also mean "not in a theatre" or "without a stage", and/or in the open air.
It is possible that the performance is designed to take place off-stage _AND_ outside a formal theatre venue AND/OR in the open air.
All these factors may be combined, but who knows, without more explanation?
"hors les murs" is sometimes used by artists when referring to the fact that they give a performance outside of their normal theatre venue, and sometimes actually in the open air.

In any case, it is perfectly clear that this particular performance takes place off-stage - but it's hard to know precisely whether or not this is what is meant by "hors les murs".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-11-26 01:01:25 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

... or, as others have suggested, it could be simply \"outdoors\" or \"outside\" (while still being off-stage)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-11-26 01:05:20 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

... or, as others have suggested, it could be simply \"outdoors\" or \"outside\" (while still being off-stage). And “in a non conventional setting” is also a good way of covering all sorts of possibilities.
\"off-stage, in a non conventional setting\" would cover a lot, and would not be wrong.
Peer comment(s):

agree Odette Grille (X) : as in Avignon or the caravan stage company...
3 hrs
agree Yolanda Broad : http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q="off-stag...
6 days
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2 hrs

in non-traditional setting

offstage, out of doors, in an unconventional place
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5 hrs

outside the city walls

which applies in particular to cities like Avignon where you can perform within the ramparts (protected by the lord and his guards) or outside of the city, if you arrive too late or if you are just a roaming band of actors. Nowadays, protection is rather a money matter, but even in French, we say «off»
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+1
6 hrs

"outside the box"

The play was crafted for performance "outside the box".

Another option.

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Note added at 2002-11-26 05:50:49 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It\'s not about \"outdoors\" -- it\'s about a mindset that \"thinks outside the box.\"
Peer comment(s):

agree jerrie
3 hrs
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7 hrs

"Without walls"

I think the key phrase in questior is "withotu walls"... in this they do not only mean theatre walls but also they imply hiddely "wall" as a boundry -limit to be ojected (I mean double meaning)..Considering Wall meant a lot..

Jewish Community Center without Walls
Jewish Community Center Without Walls sponsored by the Jewish Council of North ... Newcomers
get together to attend the Hippodrome State Theatre's play season. ...
www.jcncf.org/jccww.htm - 20k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

Issue 21 – Arts – Without Walls
... Next June sees the first Without Walls project coming to ... director Natasha Betteridge
directs Li Ting’s new play. ... has created a piece of theatre on the ...
www.gbcc.org.uk/iss21_3.htm - 17k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

[PDF]NEWS RELEASE Without Walls
Dosya Biçimi: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - HTML sürümü
... Lexy) makes her WTF debut in Without Walls. Karbacz's theatre credits include The
Sound of Music (Lincoln Center, Tour), The 8 th Annual Summer Play Party (MCC ...
www.wtfestival.org/showpages/withoutwalls/ withoutwalls.pdf - Benzer sayfalar

[PDF]NEWS RELEASE
Dosya Biçimi: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - HTML sürümü
... Marathon of One Acts and his other play, Either/Or ... was also performed at Long Wharf
Theatre this past ... Without Walls (August 8-19), a world premiere by Alfred ...
www.wtfestival.org/showpages/ movingpics/movingpicture.pdf - Benzer sayfalar
[ www.wtfestival.org alanýndan daha fazla sonuç göster ]

Lane Tech SCHOOLS WITHOUT WALLS LINKS
... For a complete listing of web sites go Schools Without Walls web site. ... Children's
Theatre Fantasy Orchard, Child's Play Touring Theatre, Chocolate Chip ...
www.lanehs.com/linkssww.htm - 18k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

Caribana: Theatre Without Walls
... from which it comes, is described as, "theatre without walls.". ... who is we (not to
play, too ... created in those overcrowded warrens, the "theatres without walls". ...
www.timbooktu.com/lennox/caribana.htm - 9k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

Words Without Walls 2002 - Governance - The British Council ...
... Words Without Walls is a creative writing project based around ... of Apache Tears by
Clean Break Theatre Group at ... the positive reaction to the play, the British ...
www.britishcouncil.org/belgium/ governance/words-walls.htm - 13k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

BBC - Wiltshire - Music - Recent music stories
... has only been together for a short while, but 'Without Walls' have already ... Led Zeppelin
tribute act Whole Lotta Led play Swindon's Wyvern Theatre. ...
www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/ music/archive.shtml - 54k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

Pravda.RU Cinema Without Walls Festival in Moscow
... on the problems of invalids - "Cinema Without Walls" - starts in ... opened at the state
musical theatre of national art ... Seleznev, Igor Kamensky will play the role ...
english.pravda.ru/culture/2002/09/25/ - 65k - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar

Brown University Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance
... I'm currently developing my 2nd full length play. ... this season at the Williamstown
Theatre Festival. ... O'Brien (MOVING PICTURES) and Alfred Uhry (WITHOUT WALLS). ...
www.brown.edu/Departments/Theatre_Speech_Dance/ Alums_and_Friends.html - 10k - 24 Kas 2002 - Önbellek - Benzer sayfalar
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9 hrs

to be played/performed outside the theatre/in non-theatre settings

While not disputing Jane\'s more technical explanation (I am not equipped to do so!), it is clear that the expression is also used simply to refer to performances given in places other than the theatre, whether indoors or out (see refs).
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11 hrs

in non-dedicated settings, location, place

juste pour quitter la "stage" et comme je ne suis pas sûre que le "countryside" soit adapté,ce peut être en ville mais hors d'un théâtre (je pense aux premiers spectacle à la Cartoucherie de Vincennes ou à ceux de Bartabas, may be trying something like this might be a way out
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+3
13 hrs

outside the proscenium

The traditional play takes place within the proscenium arch that opens the 3-walled scene to the public which, essentially, looks through the fourth wall of a room. Here it seems that the playwright brings performers into the scene from outside that fourth wall.
Peer comment(s):

agree Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X) : another way of referring to it, yes
3 hrs
agree PaulaMac (X)
7 hrs
agree Yolanda Broad
6 days
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