In France They Do Things Differently: the actor‐‐teacher partnership in the French school system

Abstract The French approach to the teaching of theatre is established on the principle of an actor‐teacher partnership in the classroom, known as the partenariat. Interest in such approaches to the use of artists in schools is growing internationally. This article was researched over a week in the summer of 1997 in the Montpellier region. It describes how the current system in France grew from a number of local initiatives before being formalised at national and regional levels. The underlying principles of the system are discussed from the French perspective, as are details concerning the organisation, administration and financing of the partenariat. The strengths and weaknesses of the system are considered, again from a French perspective, and the article concludes with some reflections offered by the author from the UK, attempting to understand our differences from the French and also to value them.