Marcus André told me it is a performance “where a picture is worth a thousand words”. “From random sentences from Agostinho Silva, Mia Couto, Afonso Cruz or Lewis Carroll, we embark on a journey that takes us from the creation of Adam up to his self-destruction. Was this God’s plan all along? We open the doors for the reflection of humanity deepest questions: where do we come from? Who are we? What are we doing here? We’re considered the most intelligent and rational beings on earth yet the only ones with the capacity to extinguish our own species. Why?”

Visual performance

The performance includes dance, singing and a few texts in Portuguese, with Marcus assuring me “that the performance is very visual which allows all nationalities to understand and enjoy the show.” He added that “Nuno Marreiros is actually teaching Portuguese to foreigners so they have made sure to use words that are easier to understand.”

The show includes the theme ““we’re all refugees” in one way or another” with Marcus explaining that “I studied Musical Theatre in London and I always wanted to do a show that is very much a performance and that explores the idea of refugees, not specifically from the Middle East and Ukraine now, but I believe we are all refugees because we all come from somewhere and our ancestors come from somewhere.”

Outside the box

He added that “I was also inspired by Grotowski, who is a practitioner who did very much ground-based shows and I love shows that go outside the box and outside normal buildings which is why this show can be performed anywhere, with the plan being to get the show in more municipalities in the Algarve.”

In terms of the cast, Marcus told me “It is four women and me, all different ages, all different backgrounds, the only thing connecting us is the language.” Explaining that the cast are “his former students from a workshop he led and that they have been rehearsing in Lagoa since January.” Further adding that, “I never imagined that the show would fall during the time we are living in now, when we started rehearsals there was no war in Ukraine.”

Testing the waters

Marcus told me he is really focusing on developing the cultural scene in the Algarve, which is why he has opened an acting agency here and used the workshops as a means to test the waters and see who can go on set one day because “we can no longer live from tourism because every time there is a crisis, tourism is the first to be hit.”

There is no fixed entry price to attend this unmissable show but a donation is required as funds will revert to support an orphanage in Ukraine. For more information and to book tickets please call 282 380 452.

Author

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes