The story of a ruined convent, abandoned by everyone except a family that uses it as housing, is familiar to those who live in or know the village of Monchique. From this Sunday, until the 28th, this “story” will reach Lisbon, at Teatro Maria Matos, where “O Convento” will premiere.
«O Convento» is neither a play nor an exhibition of visual arts, it is a mixture of both: Perfinst, a concept created by the performance director, Luís Castro, in 1996.
Bibi Perestrelo, Filomena Cautela and André Amálio interpret and show on stage what they saw and experienced during 24 days spent in Monchique in September.
According to information published on the website of Teatro Maria Matos, «the investigation of “O Convento” focused on four aspects: the convent's historical/patrimonial past; the anthropological/sociological point of view of the family that inhabits its ruins; the surrounding arboreal, which includes, among others, the oldest magnolia in Europe and an imposing group of centenary cork oaks; and environmental and ecological issues related to this micro-cosmos».
On stage, a performative/plastic object will be presented that presents scenographic structures built from waste found in the vicinity of the convent and that «challenges the spectator to experience smells, flavors and textures and to discover images in unexpected supports».
The Karnart association, responsible for creating “O Convento”, wants to do more than make known the history of the family that inhabits the former Franciscan convent and the customs of the Serra de Monchique. The group also wants to help change the abandoned situation in which the monument finds itself and, for that, created a public petition, addressed to various entities so that «the degradation of the Convent of Nossa Senhora do Desterro is stopped».
In a press release from the Municipality of Monchique, alluding to the premiere of “O Convento” at Maria Matos, the municipality clarifies that the property “is still not, in its entirety, owned by the Municipality of Monchique”, but that in the future, the municipality intends to «acquire the entire property, and find partnerships for its recovery, such as the installation of a Hotel/Inn for which there is already a project in this Town Hall».
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