MITbr - PLATAFORMA BRASIL
Mother Tongue
ORIGINAL TITLE: Língua
ARTIST: Vinicius Arneiro
75 min | Age Rating: 14+
3/22, SATURDAY, 9PM
3/23, SUNDAY, 7PM
Itaú Cultural
SYNOPSIS
The play’s narrative was created in both Portuguese and Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). In it, a mother prepares a surprise birthday party for her son, a deaf taxi driver who grew up surrounded by hearing people. The gathering brings together a small group of his friends, highlighting affection as well as cultural dilemmas and differences between them. This production—Vinicius Arneiro’s second project dedicated to exploring the paradoxes between Deaf culture and society—proposes a reflection on new approaches to accessibility practices. It addresses coexistence and communication, emphasizing the disconnect between what is felt and the inability to express it.
BACKGROUND
Vinicius Arneiro is a theater director, playwright, and actor. Among the plays he has directed are Cachorro!, Rebu, and Colônia (presented at the 6th edition of MITsp), as well as having written and directed Peça de Amar and Língua—both nominated for the Shell Award in Rio de Janeiro for Best Playwriting. He is currently dedicated to researching expanded forms of writing, associated with a staging approach that blends and articulates compositions between body, sound, and space.
CRITICAL RECEPTION
“Every detail, every small dialogue, every song, and every event are harmoniously intertwined to focus on a clear and crystalline sense of meaning from the very beginning. Língua is more than a proposal. Without advocating causes or presenting statistics, it turns a trip to the theater into something rare: that post-show conversation where the discussion continues, sparked by what was just witnessed.” Cláudia Chaves, Correio da Manhã
CREDITS
Direction: Vinicius Arneiro
Playwriting: Pedro Emanuel and Vinicius Arneiro
Cast: Erika Rettl, Filipe Codeço, Jhonatas Narciso, Luize Mendes Dias, and Ricardo Boaretto
Production Director: Juracy De Oliveira
Portuguese/Libras Interpreter and Transcreation: Lorraine Mayer
Dramaturgical Consultant: Catharine Moreira
Gestural Consultant: Laura Samy
Assistant Director: Dominique Arantes
Set Design: Julia Deccache
Musical Direction: Felipe Storino
Lighting Design: Daniela Sanchez
Costume Design: Julia Vicente
Graphic Design: Pedro Colombo
Executive Production: Thais do Ó and Natally do Ó (Âmbar Produções)
Lighting Operator: Daniela Sanchez
Sound Operator: Fábio Storino
Stagecraft: Djavan Costa
Photography: Renato Mangolin
Partnership: Instituto Nacional de Educação de Surdos – INES
Concept by: Filipe Codeço and Vinicius Arneiro
Videomapping operation: Dominique Arantes
Videomapping consultant: Fagner Lourenço
Light operation: Andre Pierre
