CULTURE – Nine theater companies from Braga present a play to reflect on freedom

Nine theater companies from the municipality of Braga have joined forces and will stage, on April 7th, the play “Até Quando?”, which is seen as a reflection on freedom.

According to the director invited to the project, Roberto Moreira, the idea is to “provoke the public”, leading them to reflect on freedom and the threats that loom over it.

“Just because someone, 50 years ago, made the 25th of April, we cannot take freedom for granted, we can lose it at any moment. We want the public to leave thinking about it,” she said.

The play will be taken to the stage by the Semnome movement, a collective that brings together the groups Artes d’Alegria, CEA — Cooperativa de Ensino Artístico, Grupo Cénico de Arentim, Grupo de Teatro Planalto, Malad’Arte Produções, Nova Comédia Bracarense, Projeto Expressar , Teatro D’Art and Tin.Bra — Theater Academy.

All groups are from the municipality of Braga.

“At a time when the community spirit is being lost and when we are increasingly closed in our bubbles, this is a project that makes perfect sense”, said Roberto Moreira.

For the director, the expected result is “a great show and a great celebration of freedom and the 25th of April”.

The play will be presented on April 7th, at Theatro Circo, in the city of Braga.

It is part of the programming of the second edition of Braga En’Cena, a theater festival that will run until October 8th and will present eight new shows, always at Theatro Circo.

This festival emerged as a response from the municipality of Braga to the wishes of local cultural entities, focusing on the promotion and development of theater in the municipality.

“Materializing itself as a complementary initiative to support cultural entities dedicated to theater in the region, Braga En’Cena was born from the challenge of different companies dialoging and developing, in an articulated way, new theatrical productions, both in individual and collective projects” ; says a statement from the municipality.

The proceeds from each show benefit the groups that take the stage.

On April 14th, it will be the turn of the show “Animais”, by the Planalto Theater Group, a play created based on the work “A Quinta dos Animais”, by George Orwell, written in 1945.

Next, on May 5th, Nova Comédia Bracarense, with “O Aniversário do Casamento III”, a light comedy in one act that ends the anniversary saga of the couple Beto and Bela and that satirizes the collective imagination and popular culture.

On June 12th, the Artistic Teaching Cooperative — CEA takes the stage, with the play “Asas de Pedra”, a drama that starts from a poetic and inspiring picture to an unimaginable and difficult to accept past.

In July, on the 7th, it is the turn of Grupo Cénico de Arentim to present the show “Passa Por Mim Na Arcada”, a play in the revue genre.

“Se Uma Gaivota Viesse”, from Tin.Bra – Academia de Teatro, is the proposal for July 31st.

It is a show based on the novel “Fernão Capelo Gaivota”, by Richard Bach, inspired by the sculpture “O Vigilante”, by Alberto Vieira (exhibited on Rua do Castelo, in Braga).

On September 10th, the play “Voltamos Todos”, by Projeto Expressar, will be presented.

With the backdrop of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April and in a staging close to documentary and proximity theater, “Voltamos Todos” starts from the colonial war and recovers memories of these 50 years of a group of 12 men living in the Misericórdia neighborhood, in Braga.

The festival closes the curtains on October 8th, with the show “Palavras Pendinges”, by MalaD’arte Produções, which “challenges social conventions and delves into the depths of the human soul, exploring the corrosive effects of oppression and the annulment of freedom individual”.

Braga En’Cena represents a municipal investment of 15 thousand euros, in addition to the provision of space at Theatro Circo for the eight shows.