The performing arts show «As Carpideiras», created and starring Marta Gorgulho (Theatre), Neusa Dias (Theatre) and Sara Martins (Dance), will be presented at the Roman Ruins of Milreu (Estoi), on Saturday, June 17 , at 16:30.
«As Carpideiras» is a creative project in the area of Performing Arts that investigates a figure of popular culture: the mourner – a professional of weeping, prayers and songs, present in different times and geographies, paid to publicly dramatize the convulsion of emotions felt before death (for those who die and for those who live).
Imagining that the effectiveness of the rite of mourning a dead person depends on a physical posture, a vocal expression or emotional disposition, appropriate to the identity of the deceased, the place where the lamentation takes place and the payment received for the service rendered, the artists Marta Gorgulho, Neusa Dias and Sara Martins, co-creators and protagonists of «As Carpideiras», conceive theatrical performances in which a space or problematic defines the direction of the dramaturgy, without this constraining the artistic ideas, but rather provoking them.
Participation in the cultural program DiVaM – Dynamization and Enhancement of Monuments, promoted by the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve, this year with the theme (un)comfortable Heritage, now takes the three Algarve artists to the Roman Ruins of Milreu, where «As Carpideiras» worship Daphinus, acté e Daphine, three servants (slaves or freedmen) who worked and died in villa Roman (under conditions that forensic archeology will be able to clarify in the future), so that, given the opulence of the place, all those who were essential for the productivity and maintenance of this grandiose rural manor property are not left on the margins of collective memory.
The performance is promoted by Co.N125 – Companhia Nacional 125 and by Panapaná – Associação Cultural e Recreativa.
Admission is free, but subject to registration via email [email protected] or telephone 966 668 032.
The mourners, women experienced in mourning and honoring the dead, are called to the Roman Ruins of Milreu, one of the most important archaeological sites from the Roman period in Portugal.
An employee of the Culture area, concerned with making this national monument inclusive and comfortable for all, asks three mourners to show devotion to the slaves who, in ancient times, served the owners of what was then a majestic Roman villa, with vegetable gardens, orchards , barns, mills, baths, temple, and a rich dwelling house.
The Culture official hopes that the rite of the mourners will ensure that the souls of the slaves do not abandon the tombs, invading the place, in revenge against the oblivion of those who are here today to enjoy what is left of the small Roman town in the middle of the countryside.
The Culture official would prefer the tears to be Roman, falling from the faces of mourners coming from Rome, but the lack of funds forces her to resort to three women who usually cry in the Algarve region.
ARTISTIC AND TECHNICAL SHEET
Artistic Direction: Neusa Dias
Dramaturgy: Marta Gorgulho, Neusa Dias and Sara Martins
Interpretation: Marta Gorgulho, Neusa Dias, Raquel Ançã and Sara Martins
Photographic register: Kamera Skura
Video record: Diego Medeiros
Graphics: lipax
Organization: Co.N125 – Companhia Nacional 125 / Panapaná – Cultural and Recreational Association
Logistic support: Tomás Cabreira School Group
Project funded by: Algarve Regional Directorate of Culture| DiVam – Promotion and Enhancement of Monuments
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