They arrive little by little, enter the room at Palácio Gama Lobo (Loulé), where the Theater Reading Club will take place, pick up the photocopy of the book on top of the chair, sit down and start leafing through it. The guest of the session is Lídia Jorge and “Instructions to Fly” is the work of the writer from Loulé, chosen as the guiding principle for the exchange of ideas in this first post-confinement face-to-face meeting.
It was this Thursday, 20th of May, that the Algarve author was present at the Loulé Theater Reading Club, an organization of Mákina de Cena.
«Knowing that I had a play and that they would like to read it, Mákina de Cena invited me to be present. I didn't know about this project, but I found it quite interesting», says Lídia Jorge to Sul Informação, even before starting the meeting.
The reading is for everyone and, one by one, the 14 participants in the session read “Instructions to Fly”, the story of Emil and Laura, «two strangers who cross in a space of no one, defending each one, in the face of the other, the limit reason that led them to that place», says Lídia Jorge.
For the writer, this is a “very interesting” project, where participants “rehearse what the experience of an actor is”, reading aloud and dramatized in front of a group.
“This initiative promotes various aspects of a person's personality, be it the foundation of subjectivity or voice training, where listening to the text aloud helps to create a series of skills that develop”, he says.
Lídia Jorge also emphasizes that, the fact that it is a group activity, «brings people together, having a neighborhood, fraternization and approximation effect, which is very important in societies».
After reading the entire text, it is time to start exchanging ideas. Lídia Jorge explains that «rereading the text, at a distance of these years, gives me ideas of how I could have done it better», stressing that «one day, I would like to rewrite the play again».
The work “Instructions to Fly” appeared in 2015 at the invitation of the Algarve Theater Company (ACTA), having been staged by Juni Dahr, actress and director of the Norwegian company Visjoner Teater, and featuring the interpretations of actors Luís Vicente and Elisabete Martins.
As for the Loulé Theater Reading Club, it began in April 2019, with the presence of Portuguese playwrights to participate in the reading of one of its texts. The session is entirely guided by guest writers.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization decided to hold a series of online sessions, "which worked very well and where we feel there is a loyal audience", having come to the conclusion that "the initiative works in both formats", he explained. Carolina Santos, founder of the association Mákina de Cena.
«This month, in which we celebrate the return to the face-to-face format and in which Lídia Jorge wins the prize of the Portuguese Association of Writers (APE) and the Municipality of Loulé, we feel that she would be a great guest to celebrate this return», she concluded.
Photos: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação
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