The seminar “Public dimension of the crisis and forms of resistance” discusses the relationship between politics and aesthetics, art and social context via: (1) public representation, (2) public space and (3) the relation with the public. Such questions also permeate the overall activities: Crossing Dialogues, Ongoing, Essay Space, Practice of Reviewing and Book Launches, which invite artists and researchers from the field of theater and from other fields to extend the experience of the performances and expand the debate.
Curators: Kil Abreu and Luciana Romagnolli
Esthetic & Political Thinking
Seminar: Public dimension of the crisis and forms of resistance
Mediation: Patrick Pessoa
Board 1 “Conditions of perception and practices of re-existence”
March 15th from 2pm to 4:30pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
The political crisis and social polarization of current Brazil lead us to believe we are in a deadlock. On this board we propose that the participants come up with escape possibilities from this difficult situation and ask: to what extend the crisis in which we live is also a crisis of perception? How this process of anesthesia and brutalization of our sensitivity operates into our subjectivities and captures our desire to create? Returning to question Suely Rolnik’s question (2011): “How do we, nowadays, reactivate the political power inherent in the artistic action and the power to incarnate the mutations of the sensitive and, therefore, participate on the reset of the world’s face?”. What artistic and thoughtful experiences and what kind of social organization do dialogue with the idea of utopia and may, finally, illuminate the possibility of a political scenario outside the given order? What are forms of re-existing and how to think about them?
Guests: Ferréz, Ivana Bentes e Lúcio Flávio Pinto
Board 2 “Dissent on the left: representation crisis as public process”
March 16th from 2pm to 4:30pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
The left-wing arena suffers a major representation crisis, markedly since June 2013, as a notable consequence of last years political polarization. The left-wing, until yesterday in the central government, got involved in a major plot around important projects for the country and also around the fight for power positions strictly. On another front, in the same period, people on the streets and political parties themselves, have expressed their visions on what should be the left-wing duties and strategies, visions which were mostly rejected in the last elections, you could say. The impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff may be taken as a practical and symbolic apex on this process. It was read by many as a “coup” and by others as a natural arrival point, however convulsive, in a conservative administration’s path. The intention for this MITsp board is to evaluate the different narratives of recent events. What does these dissensions mean and how to make them work in favor of the progressive arena. We think it is important for the debate that we start this discussion from non-aligned viewpoints.
Guests: Ferréz, Ivana Bentes and Lúcio Flávio Pinto.
Board 3 “Places of speech and the emergence of micro politics”
March 17th from 2pm to 4:30pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
In the past years, human-rights fields and its agents have become organized in activism groups focused on specific policies – gender, race, sexuality, age group, etc. The emergence of micro-politics appears sometimes linked to traditional ways of confrontation based on class struggle; sometimes they are out of this perspective, appearing through the intersectionality or by embracing segmentation as an urgent strategy for the conquest rights. In this context, the places of speech theme has been recurrent. In the words of Renan Quinalha, something that “refers simultaneously to a double movement: to the conquest of a place of speech that, by legitimacy, should belong to the oppressed and, at the same time, to the occupier’s eviction of the place taken by force of domination through those who took possession of the speech tradition in a stratified society”. At this MITsp board we want to discuss the ways in which demands for places of speech have found space and have created a tension in the overall Brazilian sociability, provoking a visible upsurge of conservatism. And, consequently, renewed attempts, sometimes violent, to naturalize these positions of class, ethnicity, sex and so on.
Guests: Rosane Borges, Suely Rolnik and Todd Tomorrow
Board 4 “The street as a stage for protest: aesthetical-political strategies of public mobilization”
March 19th from 2pm to 4:30pm | Venue: Casa das Rosas
As of the takeover of Paulista Avenue and other demonstrations organized by different political fronts and social movements throughout Brazil, we propose a debate on the forms of public space appropriation, reflecting on the performative, poetic and discursive strategies employed in social mobilizations, especially since June 2013 in Brazil. In what ways is public space a territory of symbolic dispute in the country? How to make use of its potential for resistance and social transformation?
Guests: Marcelo Freixo, Nina Caetano and Pablo Ortellado
Lecture
“And what do we do with the public? Theatricality, public and democracy”
With the researcher Oscar Corn ago (Spain)
March 15th from 4:30pm to 6:30pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
Round Table
“Theater in Palestine: relations between politics and art”
With Palestinian actor and director Ahab Zayden, the Chilean actress of Palestinian descent Andrea Giada (from the show Mateluna), and the Performing Arts researcher and Brazilian activist Maria Fernanda Romero.
Mediation: Ferdinando Martins
March 18th from 1pm to 3pm | Venue: TUSP
Public interview
With director and playwright Guillermo Calderón
Critics Daniele Avila Small (virtual magazine Questão de Crítica) and Welington Andrade (Cult Magazine) interview the Chilean playwright and director Guillermo Calderón, one of the most important Latin theater authors of his generation.
March 20th from 11am to 1pm | Venue: Container Theater Mungunzá
Crossing Dialogues
Mediation: Cristiane Zuan Esteves and Ruy Cortez
Critical remarks on each show happen in dialogue with the audience, taking place in the venue itself shortly after a performance. We invite artists and thinkers from other fields of knowledge to cast cross-glances, to cross borders and broaden the work’s understanding.
“En avant, marche!” – Tom Zé. March 15th
“So Little Time” and “Pixelated Revolution” – Reginaldo Nasser. March 15th
“Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?” – Maria Homem. March 16th
“White: the smell of lily and formal” – Ana Paula Maia. March 18th
“For the Sky Not To Fall” – Davi Kopenawa. March 18th
“The Mission in Fragments: 12 self-defense scenes of decolonization” – Silvio Luiz de Almeida. March 19th
“Riding on a Cloud” – Ilana Feldman. March 19th
“Black Off”– Djamila Ribeiro. March 20th
“Mateluna” – Edson Teles. March 20th
* MITsp would like to inform that, due to a health issue, the Crossing Dialogue activity, scheduled after the show En avant, marche! with Tom Zé, was canceled.
Essay Space
Researchers of the Brazilian universities’ graduate programs in performing arts write articles on the MITsp guest artists and their creative careers
“En avant, marche!”– Fernando Villar (UNB)
Mostra Rabih Mroué: “So Little Time”, “Pixelated Revolution” and “Riding on a Cloud” – Daniele Avila Small (UNIRIO)
“Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? “ – Stephan Baumgartel (UDESC)
“For the Sky Not To Fall”– Christine Greiner (PUC-SP)
“The Mission in Fragments: 12 self-defense scenes of decolonization” – José Fernando Azevedo (USP)
“White: the smell of lily and formal” – Luiz Fernando Ramos (USP)
“Black Off” – Nina Caetano (UFOP)
“Mateluna”– Ferdinando Martins (USP)
Ongoing Thought
The guest artists of the Festival meet the public to share and answer questions about their creative processes.
“En avant, marche!” – With the musical director Steven Prengels and actor Wim Opbrouck. Mediation by Fernando Villar (UNB), March 15th from 10am to 11am| Venue: Itaú Cultural
Rabih Mroué Show “So Little Time”, “Pixelated Revolution” e “Riding on a Cloud” – with director Rabih Mroué and the performers Lina Majdalanie and Yasser Mroué. Mediation by Pollyanna Diniz (USP) March 16th from 10am to 12am | Venue: Itaú Cultural
“Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? ” – with director Susanne Kennedy. Mediation by Stephan Baumgartel (UDESC). March 17th from 11:30am to 12:30am | Venue: Itaú Cultural
“The Mission in Fragments: 12 self-defense scenes of decolonization” – with diretor Eugênio Lima. Mediation by José Fernando Azevedo (USP). March 18th from 10am to 11am| Venue: Itaú Cultural
“White: the smell of lily and formal” – with directors Alexandre Dal Farra and Janaina Leite. Mediation by Luiz Fernando Ramos (USP). March 18th from 11am to 12am | Venue: Itaú Cultural
“Mateluna” – with director and playwright Guillermo Calderón and the actors of the show. Mediation by Ferdinando Martins (USP). March 19th from 10am to 11am | Venue: Itaú Cultural
“Black Off” – with director and performer Ntando Cele. Mediation by Nina Caetano (UFOP). March 19th from 11am to 12am| Venue: Itaú Cultural
“For the Sky Not To Fall”– with director Lia Rodrigues. Mediation by Christine Greiner (PUC-SP). March 20th from 10am to 11am| Venue: Itaú Cultural
Practice of Reviewing
Daily Review
Daily production of reviews on the festival shows for print and virtual broadcast (www.mitsp.org). Participants are the critics of DocumentaCena – Review Platform, formed by the virtual magazine Questão de Crítica (Mariana Barcelos/ Renan Ji), Horizonte da Cena website (DanielToledo) and the blog Satisfeita,Yolanda? (Ivana Moura); other participants are the theater reviewing website Agora (Michele Rolim); the Antro Positivo magazine (Ruy Filho); and the guests Welington Andrade and Miguel Arcanjo Prado.
Coordination: Soraya Belusi
Immediate Review
Proposed by the Positive Antro magazine, founded by Ruy Filho and Patrícia Cividanes, the Immediate Review is done with first impact words. A short review, written just after the end of the show is published on the social networks: facebook.com/antropositivo or www.antropositivo.com.br
Critics: Ruy Filho, Ana Carolina Marinho, Claudio André, Marcio Tito, Maria Teresa Cruz and Patricia Bergantyn
Table “Critic and Curatorship”
Mediation: Michele Rolim (Agora Crítica Teatral)
This table, proposed by the Agora – Theater Review, will have three curators: Marcelo Bones (Observatório dos Festivais), Felipe de Assis (FIAC Bahia) and Cesar Augusto (Tempo Festival), gathered to share their experiences and talk about various curatorial thoughts that guide the performing arts festivals, specially in Brazil. The discussion shall cover the curatorship dynamics in our country, the relationship between the artistic and administrative models and the curatorship understood as authorship. Among the themes of this meeting are the questions: Is there a hegemonic curatorial thinking in Brazil today? What are the implications when one is responsible for both the curatorship and administration of a festival?
March 16th, from 5pm to 7pm| Venue:CCSP
Table “Criticism and Engagement”
Mediation: Ivana Moura (Satisfeita,Yolanda?)
This talk, proposed by the reviewing platform DocumentaCena, aims to present different experiences and perspectives on the participation of artists and critics in matters and circumstances of political and social relevance. The participants of the table are Maria Fernanda Vomero (SP), Daniel Toledo (MG) and Óscar Cornago (Spain).
March 20th, from 5pm to 7 pm | Venue:TUSP
Table “Contemporary scene: critical panoramas”
Researchers Edélcio Mostaço, Sílvia Fernandes, Óscar Cornago and Christine Greiner will follow the MITsp program and each will produce one review on the shows, from interdisciplinary perspectives, aiming to reflect on the current scene. These panoramic texts will be presented to the public at this discussion table.
March 21st, from 10am to 12am | Venue: Itaú Cultural
Launches
Gordon Craig: Towards a New Theatre & Scene
The book brings together two works by the English artist and modern scene revolutionary, Gordon Craig (1878 -1966), unpublished in Brazil and never before edited in Portuguese. The first text is Towards a New Theatre, published in 1913 and the second is Scene, published in 1923. Both feature engravings of Craig himself. Translation and featuring by Luiz Fernando Ramos.
The launch will be preceded by the debate “Gordon Craig: Legacy to the Contemporary Scene” (see details in the “Special Events”).
March 17th, from 6pm to 8pm | Venue: Sesc Pinheiros
Contemporary Brazilian dramaturgy
Book launch of four Brazilian playwrights: Alexandre Dal Farra (publisher Javali), Grace Passô, Pedro Kosovski and Vinicius Calderoni (publisher Cobogó). The Trilogia Abnegação (Abnegation Trilogy) brings together three theatrical pieces written by Alexandre Dal Farra. They examine the current Brazilian political structure and the progression of the only and barely left-wing central government in Brazil. The trilogy was staged by the group Tablado de Arruar. Grace Passô, playwright, director and actress, launches Mata Tu Pai (Kill Your Father). The author reflects on our times and its boundaries inspired by the Medea myth. Caranguejo Overdrive (Overdrive Crab) written by Pedro Kosovski, follows the crab collector Cosme in his return to Rio de Janeiro, five years after being sent to the Paraguayan War. The show, directed by Marco André Nunes, won the Shell Awards (Direction, Text and Actress), Cesgranrio (Direction and Text) and APTR (Author, Direction and Actress). Vinícius Calderoni publishes the work Arrã, for which he received the Shell Award for Best Author. The release will be preceded by a conversation between the playwrights (see details in “Special Events”).
March 18th, from 3pm to 5pm | Venue: TUSP
Eid Ribeiro Collection
Publisher Javali launches a collection of works in three volumes by the director and playwright from Minas Gerais, Eid Ribeiro. Among the 15 theater pieces, written between the 70’s and nowadays, are the famous pieces Lusco-fusco (Twilights) and Anjos e Abacates (Angels and Avocados), staged in many cities throughout the country and also unpublished works by the author, such as Nightvodka and Tinto e a Baleia (Red and the Whale). The third volume of the collection brings together 48 chronicles written by Eid for the journal O Tempo (the Time) between the years of 1996 and 2001. The launch will be preceded by a conversation between Eid Ribeiro and theater critic Soraya Belusi, author of the book’s preface.
March 19th, from 12:30am and 1:30pm | Venue: TUSP
The Mission
The n-1 editions, in partnership with MITsp 2017, will launch the first volume of the collection: Heiner Müller’s text The Mission. The decision to have the launch during the MITsp was strengthened by the presence of the performance The Mission in Fragments: 12 self-defense scenes of decolonization , by the Legitima Defesa collective, based on same text by Müller and directed by Eugenio Lima. The idea is to spread and interweave thoughts of Brazilian and German origins from different times, so far apart and, at the same time, so close. Exclusively during the MITsp period, the book of n-1 editions will be accompanied by Eugênio Lima’s adaptation of the text in a cordel format.
March 17th, 18th and 19th from 7pm to 8:30pm | Venue: Ibirapuera Auditorium
TREMA! Theater Magazine
The art and politics’ magazine, created and maintained by the Trema! Theater Platform, dedicates its 9th edition to thoughts on the black. The publication contains texts by Patrícia Collins, Giovana Xavier, Eugênio Lima, Marconi Bispo, Fernanda Julia and illustrations by visual artist Criola.
March 20th, at 1pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
Pandemia
The series Pandemia (Pandemic) brings together ten political-philosophical texts published in the tradition format of Cordel. All of them have hand-printed book cover. The box launch is part of the partnership between MITsp and n-1 editions, complemented by the public performance Manifestos Pandemia (Pandemic Manifest), to be held in the city of São Paulo during the Festival.
Throughout MITsp
SPECIAL EVENTS
CONFERENCE
“Contemporary German Theater”
With researcher Didier Plassard (France)
March 17th, from 10am to 11:30am | Venue: Itaú Cultural
MASTER CLASS
“Theatricality, violence and the performativity of pain”
With researcher Ileana Diéguez Caballero (Mexico)
March 18th, from 5 pm to 7 pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
TALKS
“Gordon Craig: Legacy to the Contemporary Scene”
With researchers Didier Plassard and Luiz Fernando Ramos
March 17th , from 6 pm to 8 pm | Venue: Sesc Pinheiros
“Contemporary Brazilian dramaturgy”
With playwrights Alexandre Dal Farra, Grace Passô, Pedro Kosovski and Vinicius Calderoni
March 18th, from 3pm to 5pm | Venue: TUSP
SEMINAR Unspoken Things: racism and thought decolonization
The seminar brings together thinkers from different fields of knowledge to reflect on the unfolding of black slavery and different forms of racism in Brazil and in the world. The goal is to deconstruct the legacies of colonial thinking, challenging the essentializing modes of the “other” which were consolidated as hegemonic systems and as a culture of violence and oppression that cannot be eliminated by decree. It is necessary to transform our being and, above all, to alter beliefs. It is necessary to restore to “others” the right to self-representation.
Curators: Eugênio Lima and Majoí Gongora
Table 1 “Blackness” and “Whiteness”: deepening discussions about race and privilege structures
Brazilian historian Giovana Xavier, an intersectional black feminist and professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and South African intellectual Nicky Falkof, of the Witwatersrand University (Johannesburg), will initiate the debate. The round table will explore issues related to the racial processes of relations in Brazil and in South Africa.
March 20th, from 2pm to 5pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural
Table 2 Black Feminism: knowledge and self-determination
The participants of this table are Djamila Ribeiro, philosopher and Brazilian feminist, and the renowned American sociologist Patricia Collins, of The University of Maryland. The roundtable will discuss the social construction of black feminism, the constituent elements of this concept, its distinctions and the challenges set in contemporary times.
March 21th, from 2pm to 5pm | Venue: Itaú Cultural