Under the direction of Richard Bachand, l’Association Internationale Musique Ensemble holds rehearsals on Monday evenings at the Lutheran église des Billettes in the Marais.

The American Library in Paris has provided eighty-four years of uninterrupted service. It has weathered two world wars, the Great Depression, and more crises than anyone cares to remember. Even during the most turbulent times, the Library continued to provide readers with the best in America's written cultural heritage. In return, it has enjoyed the patronage of some of the most influential voices of 20th century literature, society, and industry.

For the years to come, the Library plans an expanded collection, easier technological access to resources of all kinds, increased services for children and young adults, and a striking renovation that will result in greater space and comfort. As the largest American Library in Continental Europe, the American Library in Paris has a unique and invaluable place in the diverse community it serves.

Part of the Pré Catalan in the Bois de Boulogne, the green and pleasant outdoor theatre of the Jardin Shakespeare is the scene of a Shakespeare play presented in the early summer by the Tower Theatre, a company based in London. See www.towertheatre.org.uk for full information on their activities.

The arts association sponsors art shows, theater productions and musical events at the American Cathedral in Paris. Visiting choirs and orchestras perform a wide range of music. In addition, free Thursday noontime concerts provide budding artists with a venue and an appreciative audience.

The Association Franco-Ecossaise exists to inform the French-speaking public about Scotland and Franco-Scottish activities and events, and to perpetuate the 700-year-old Auld Alliance between the two peoples.

British Council
9 rue de Constantine
75340 Paris Cedex 07
01 49 55 73 00
Web www.britishcouncil.fr

The British Council organises UK study for foreign students, administers an English language training programme, sponsors artistic and cultural events, and supports scientific exchange programmes.

Based in Paris, Dear Conjunction is a professional bilingual theatre company established by actor Les Clack in 1991. Over the years, the company has built up an extensive repertory of plays in English and French which are available for touring. They also produce a regular season of productions at the SuddenTheatre (18th arrondissement). Dear Conjunction also organize play and poetry readings for schools and cultural events.

FACT comprises a professional training center for actors and directors, based in Paris with workshops in New York, and an acting company which presents contemporary and new plays in Paris and regionally in France.

FACT has more than twenty years of commitment to the artistic mission which inspired its creation: to foster cultural exchange in the performing arts on a human level through professional actor training, research and performance, in French and in English, encouraging a sense of community among artists of diverse ethnicities and cultural traditions.

Fragment78 is the name of a monthly email list of readings and other English-language literary events in the Paris region. This exhaustive list is now available as an online blog, with an archive of past events as well as those coming up in the current month.

The French-American Foundation strengthens the French-American relationship at the leadership level by organizing conferences, meetings and events, sponsoring leadership and professional exchanges of decision-makers and prominent individuals from France and the United States. Its Young Leaders program has been active for more than 25 years. Multi-year thematic programs focused at the policy level on in international relations, business and finance, social issues and culture have produced a measurable impact on policy and decision-makers in both countries.

The Improfessionals are an international improvisational theatre troupe based in Paris, delivering a form of theatre in which each performance is unique. Improvisation is live, spontaneous theatre. Actors create characters, places and relationships to build a scene in which audience suggestions shape the action.

Since all audiences are different and all scenes are created on the spot, no two performances are alike. Together, we co-operate to create a show that has never been seen before and will never be seen again. We are improvisation in its purest form: anything is possible, everything is accepted. This is theatre without a safety net.

This active amateur anglophone theatre group, based in Le Pecq and St-Germain-en-Laye, puts on two shows a year with a wide range of productions: musical comedies, plays, pantomimes, revues. Recent productions include My Fair Lady, Oliver!, Into the Woods, an original musical play Unspeakable, The Pirates of Penzance and Sleeping Beauty. Their most recent production was Talking Heads by Alan Bennett.

There are over 60 members of all ages and various nationalities. They welcome new members every year from Paris and the western suburbs. If you are interested in any aspect of the theatre, visit the website for up-to-date information, and news of productions and auditions.

The brief of the Centre Culturel Irlandais is to show a wide range of art forms, including visual art, film, literature and music. Accommodation for 45 people benefitting from time spent in Paris – students, artists, writers – gives the Centre Culturel Irlandais a unique opportunity to develop a vibrant community where exchange and dialogue are part of daily life.

The Center seeks to strengthen the friendship between France and the United States by promoting a better understanding of American art and culture. Located in a lovely townhouse on the Seine and facing the Eiffel Tower, the center has four principal programmes.

     ::  Exhibitions: temporary exhibitions featuring American art
     ::  Events: concerts,performances, lectures featuring American talent and topics
     ::  Education: classes (for children and adults) school group visits, workshops
     ::  Community: hosting Franco-American non-profit associations, outreach initiatives

In 1995 Michael O'Brien, an English playwright living in Paris, wanted to hear what his plays sounded like so that he could perfect them before submitting them to publishers. From this idea was born Moving Parts, a bilingual group which offers authors writing in English or in French the opportunity to obtain feedback on their work, including:

     ::  hearing their work read by actors
     ::  informed audience reaction and friendly criticism
     ::  practical suggestions from other authors
     ::  contacts for further information
     ::  help in finishing plays which have "got stuck"
     ::  proof-reading of texts
     ::  contacts for translation of texts into French

The readings take place in Paris throughout the year every other Sunday evening. The service is free to authors, and no subscription is required from members — but they ask that you supply a sheet of stamps to help with mailing costs. An e-mail address is even better!

Member of NADFAS in the UK, PADFAS offers eight monthly lectures in English at the Théâtre du Ranelagh, 5 rue des Vignes, 75016 Paris. Talks are given by experts of international reputation covering major art exhibitions in Paris, and general Fine Arts subjects. The annual subscription is 75 € single, 132 € double. Non-member admission to individual talks is 11 €.

This group of nearly one hundred trained amateurs is dedicated to producing quality choral works for minimal ticket prices. They give three concerts a year in addition to sponsoring the beloved "Sing-Along Messiah" at the American Cathedral.

Formerly a paper-and-ink publication, the Paris Voice is now entirely on line, billing itself as "the webzine for English-speaking Parisians".

The 2012 Paris Writers Workshop runs from 24 to 29 June. It offers a 10-day program of master classes, workshops, and meetings with agents and publishers. Other events include daily readings and performances, literary walks, art shows and a festive closing dinner.

Five-day master classes are devoted to the novel, screenplays and non-fiction writing, while week-long workshops cover creativity, the evocation of place, personal essays, fiction, poetry, literary translation and writing about art.

Three-day courses include crime, fantasy and romance fiction; biography and journalism; travel, cookery and business writing... and how to get published.

SCBWI France is the French chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, founded in 1971. SCBWI France was launched in June 1996 , a dynamic group from a variety of countries and backgrounds. About half of the SCBWI France membership is made up of published authors and illustrators; the other half is comprised of aspiring creatives and industry professionals.

SCBWI France organizes a wide range of activities, including evenings with children’s book publishers, authors and illustrators, writers' workshops, exhibitions of work by illustrators in the group and writing contests. Members benefit from preferential rates for participation in all SCBWI events worldwide, an invaluable network for sharing your work. They also receive the monthly association bulletin.