There are 15 years that will be marked with 15 special moments. Tindersticks, Gal Costa, Romeo and Juliet, Theater of Neighbors and even As Cortes de Faro are some of the highlights of this year's program at Teatro das Figuras, in Faro, presented on Thursday, January 23rd.
The decade and a half of existence is the motto for all programmatic contents. After last year the focus was on “Culture and Social Intervention”, now it is the round brand that serves as an anchor for a set of initiatives.
The first moment of these 15 years will be on February 17th, with a concert by the Tindersticks. The British band, created in the 90s, will begin the national tour of the new work No Treasure but Hope with this concert in Faro.
Despite giving space to more established artists, Teatro das Figuras will also continue to invest in local companies. In addition to the continuation of projects such as “between walls", than took inmates from the Prison of Faro to the theater stage, it's the "Rhythms and Poetry", with young people from Faro from problematic neighborhoods, the Algarve artists will have space to present their work.
“Fit(In)”, produced by LAMA and starring Yola Pinto and João de Brito, is an example of this. The show takes place on March 12th and will talk about the encounter and the search for a unique identity within a collective.
In the programming, there are still absolute premieres. This is the case of “Romeo and Juliet”, a recreation of Shakespeare's classic, which will bring together, on March 21, the Quorum Ballet and the Southern Classical Orchestra (OCS) for a show that promises.
This is also joined by the premiere of a show by pianist Filipe Raposo with OCS, on 9 May. This will be a concert for piano and orchestra that is inspired by the crossover between a more symphonic language and a more contemporary one, linked to jazz.
In the opinion of Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro, over these 15 years, Teatro das Figuras has already achieved «confidence», on the part of the artists, which makes them «come to us». In this sense, the Farense space will receive a concert by one of the most Reputable Brazilian Artists: Gal Costa. It will be on the 9th of May, at 21 pm, with tickets costing between 30 and 45 euros.
Continuing with the schedule, one of the main novelties is the community project “Teatro de Vizinhos”.
The initiative brings together people interested in theater, but without training, coordinated by Edith Scher and Miguel Martins Pessoa, from JAT – Janela Aberta Teatro. The training started on the 18th of January and the final performance, on stage, will be three months later – on the 18th of March.
2020 also marks the return of contemporary circus programming to Teatro das Figuras. In addition to “Sopros”, with Dolores de Matos and Luciano Amarelo, on February 20, there will be “Mica Paprika”, a commission made to the Fric à Frac Company by contemporary artist Michael Rosa.
The show, which will take the stage on May 16, promises to rescue secular circus techniques, from the golden age of the great traditional circuses, with knife throwing, chainsaw juggling or machete balancing…
For Gil Silva, director of Teatro das Figuras, the space he directs also has the obligation «to think a bit about what this is about Faro». From there, the challenge was launched against Rui Catalão, who will bring us a kind of Cortes de Faro».
This will be a theater show, on the 13th of June, which will reconstitute this medieval practice in a contemporary context.
The concrete day of the 15th anniversary of Teatro das Figuras (July 1st) could not go unnoticed either. On the date, there will be a series of initiatives, with local theater companies and everyone having the opportunity to visit spaces in the Theater that are not usually accessible to the public. There will also be a session of the Ideas on Stage cycle, focused on the architecture of the building – which is a project by Gonçalo Byrne – and on how this space changed the city.
Next, in the schedule, the Festival Dance, Dance, Dance (17th to 26th September) and a special initiative. The Southern Classical Orchestra will play Beethoven's nine symphonies, in the year that marks 250 years since the birth of the German composer. The shows will run from 28th October to 1st November.
Also in November, the new project by choreographer and visual artist Tiago Cadete will be presented in a preview. Atlantic it will be a cruise between Lisbon and Porto Seguro – the same route the Portuguese took over 500 years ago.
Although they are not part of these 15 moments chosen by Teatro das Figuras, there are other shows that promise to attract a lot of public – such as the concerts by The Black Mamba (February 1, at 21 pm) and Carminho (March 30, at the same time). ). There will also be a children's program, with the cycle “Who has Faro for the opera” and the “Palavras à Solta” gatherings.
Even with regard to these 15 special initiatives, there are still some to be closed. Gil Silva explained that «these are names, both nationally and internationally, that cannot be divulged yet», but he left a guarantee of quality.
Moreover, quality seems to be a word that fits like a glove in Teatro das Figuras, taking into account the increase in the number of spectators. Last year, the Farense concert hall received around 54 people, a record number for a total of 160 sessions.
The average occupancy rate was 69%, and 23% of sessions were sold out. The numbers are a "pride, but also a responsibility", said Rogério Bacalhau.
"We have been asserting ourselves, with a very strong strategic position and things have been going well," he added.
Paulo Santos, vice president of the Chamber of Faro, explained, in turn, that these are the goals «for which we work 365 days». This year, they will work up to 366 days.
«We passed the barrier of 50 spectators and achieved an almost gradual and sustained growth. This is the only way to reach the position that Theater has in the cultural program of the region and the country», he concluded.
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