What a delightful afternoon! 2 actors, Kathleen Renish and James Bunyon, just for us. Even the name of their 2 person theatre ensemble, hints at what is to come: etc-english theater cologne, or, etc., ‘this and much more’.We weren’t disappointed. Two native speakers, Kathleen, American, James, English, told us about their theatre lives and what’s coming up in the future. What a treat to hear American and British English, in such a lively discourse.

Kathleen started out as a singer in productions in the U.S.A. , notably in the bicentennial production 1976, American Wagon Train Show. From there her career took off, travelling around the States and Europe in many shows. Eventually, she landed in Cologne, where she, in the 1990’s founded a theatre group. She wrote and produced her own one woman show, A Lost American in Germany, which she performed for 6 years on various stages in Germany, as well as New York and Philadelphia. For more details as to her many-facetted career check out their website: etc-englishtheatercologne.com 

James Bunyon’s biography is just as many-facetted as Kathleen’s. He was interested in theatre very early on, interested in passing on his passion for theatre to youngsters. In 2005 he joined The White Horse Theatre, Europe’s largest touring educational theatre, based in Soest, Germany. Hence his interest in connecting with schools and drama groups throughout Germany. Once again, check out their website for all the details.

Kathleen and James are currently looking for ways to connect with schools and work with students, in English, on various drama projects. Any suggestions from our Cosmo group would be greatly appreciated.

But first and foremost, we are looking forward to their performance in October of the play, Bakersfield Mist, a 2 person production, not just in any small theatre, but in the Volksbühne, Aachener Str.5, near Rudolfplatz. “a lively and entertaining comedy/drama about the meaning of art and what or who is authentic” Save the date: Oct. 16 & 17, 2024. We will certainly be getting a group together , so be on the lookout on our website, and at the AGM for further details. After the performances , we can talk with Kathleen and James personally, so it promises to be a special evening.