O Theater of Figures will hit the road to meet young people from social neighborhoods in Faro, with the inmates of the Prison Establishment and with the population of Culatra. The schedule for this cultural space for 2019 was presented yesterday and includes a strong component of work with the community, with the help of national and international artists.
After a year in 2018 in which a new record of affluence to Farense theater was set, with a total of 49.545 people joining the 153 programmed activities - more than a fifth, 21%, sold out -, 2019 is assumed to be a year of “Culture and Social Intervention”.
In practice, this means that Teatro das Figuras will promote activities with specific audiences that, whether because of their social situation, whether because of their isolation or even their insularity, are not regular consumers of the proposals that the Faro cultural space has programmed , over the years.
Thus, several projects of work with the community emerged. One of them, “Rhythms and Poetry”, is aimed at young people from social neighborhoods in Faro and has hip-hop at its base. The project will be promoted with the help of the artist Perigo Público from Quarteira, who will lead a training course aimed at young people between 14 and 22 years old.
The group of trainees was formed with the help of GATO – Office of Help for Drug Addicts and includes inhabitants of the neighborhoods of Horta da Areia, Atalaia and Avenida Cidade de Hayward.
Those who will also have a project dedicated to them are the inmates of the Prison Establishment of Faro, located halfway between the Teatro das Figuras, but which, by its nature, is an isolated space. In the “Entre Muros” project, creative work with inmates will be promoted. The idea is that each participant «be different at the end of the project, compared to the initial moment».
There will also be a “Teatro d' Elas”, that is, for the users of the Association for the Protection of Girls and the Family. Teatro das Figuras joined this institution to develop a theater workshop, which will work on a show that reflects the stories of the participants.
«The Theater team thought, among all, of how we could leave the existing physical space and meet people and, at the same time, how we can captivate new audiences. What we feel is that, in this almost 50 spectators that we have, there are fringes of the population that we do not reach», framed Gil Silva, director of Teatro das Figuras, on the sidelines of the presentation session of the programming for 2019.
“This led us to come up with insemination strategies to reach these people. It is up to us, Theater, to bet on this artistic aspect and show that creation is necessary and something that has always been with us. It is important that people understand that there is a potential creative and artist inside each one of us», he added.
The project “Margem”, by Victor Hugo Pontes, also has a strong component of social intervention. Inspired by the book “Capitães de Areia”, by Jorge Amado, this initiative tries to understand «who are the new “Capitães da Areia”».
For this, the breeder went in search of those «who live on the margins», namely «young people who were deprived of education, food, affection, a father, a mother - young people who left in deficit or who found themselves in deficit for reasons that are often foreign to them», as described by Victor Hugo Pontes himself.
Teatro das Figuras' programming for 2019 includes two other projects with the community, one aimed at the general population and the other that challenges an international artist to temporarily settle in Ilha da Culatra, to create a show from scratch, inspired by the experience of the culatrenses and the natural beauty of the island.
The community theater project “Assembleia”, by Rui Catalão, is part of a laboratory open to the entire community, in which a show will be developed based on the local themes suggested by the participants. «Each show has a direct connection with the local context, with its stories and with its heritage», according to Teatro das Figuras.
Julie Byrne, an American singer and songwriter who went on the Figures stage in 2018, will return to Faro for an artistic residency in Ilha da Culatra, «where you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the unique landscape of that barrier island and to get involved with the resident community».
«And why the breech? Because it is a paradisiacal place that deserves to be visited and experienced. On the other hand, it is insular, which guarantees this distance, favorable to creation», explained Gil Silva.
“I think the intervention in Culatra will be remarkable. We will have others on the same island, this will be just the first. And it will be remarkable because it is a dimension that in Culatra has not been very present. It is natural that, for years, there were other concerns, both from public entities and from culatrenses, linked to subsistence and basic rights. Today, the cultural dimension can already be introduced in Ilha da Culatra”, said Paulo Santos, vice-president of the Chamber of Faro.
«We started this year with Julie Byrne, who will live here for a few months and will produce work inspired by the island, which she will present and then take out of the Culatra. From here, we will always have artistic residencies in this location, it will not be something sporadic, punctual”, he assured.
The programming of Teatro das Figuras, of course, is not limited to this aspect of inclusion and social intervention.
From the long list of activities planned, Gil Silva highlighted the show “Zé Manel Taxista”, with Maria Rueff, which can be seen in Faro this Saturday, the play “Do Alto da Ponte”, by Artistas Unidos (31 January), the ballet “Carmen”, by Ballet Español de Murcia (2 February), the premiere of the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra in Faro (February 9th) and the Concerto Coral Sinfônico, which will bring together Pedro Burmester on stage, accompanying solo choir Lisboa Cantat and Orquestra Clássica de Oeiras e Cascais, conducted by conductor Pearce de Azevedo (16th February).
Another high point will be the presentation of the ballet “Sagração da Primavera – Made in China”, a joint production of Quorum Ballet, Orquestra Clássica do Sul and Teatro Municipal de Faro, on the 22nd and 23rd of March. «It will be a grandiose show, in which we will use the orchestra pit», anticipated Gil Silva.
Well-known names from the national music scene will also pass by Teatro das Figuras, such as Diogo Piçarra, from the far-flung region, on the 23rd and 24th of February – “one concert is sold out, the other about to sell out -, Aurea (16th March) and Dino D 'Santiago (April 20th). Still to be announced are "great international names", whose presence in Faro is still being closed, but it is already certain.
2019 is also marked by the return of the Figuras Artist. This time, the choice fell on the Moçoilas, who have been listening to Serra for 25 years and giving an account of what she has to sing.
The Algarve musical group will present a new record at Teatro das Figuras on April 30th and will return to this stage on November 30th, this time accompanied by Galandum Galundaina, a musical group from traz-os-montes that is dedicated, similarly das Moçoilas, collecting the old songs of the Serra, to preserve them for the future. In between, on September 5th, they will perform at Festival F, accompanied by Maria João, in what will be a re-edition of the concert they performed, in Loulé, in 2018.
«It is a challenge and when we are challenged, we work hard and make things happen», summarized Margarida Guerreiro, one of the founders and current member of Moçoilas.
These are just some of the spectacles that can be seen, throughout 2019, in what is «certainly the best room in Lisbon on the downside», in the view of the Mayor of Faro Rogerio Cod.
The quality of the room, but also the work of the Teatro das Figuras team, mean that «luckily, today it is easier to bring artists to Faro. There are those who want to come and those who want to come back», assures Rogério Bacalhau.
The public thanks you.
Comments