There are four Brazilian theatrical companies performing at the EICC this Fringe. We were invited to the showcase this week to see what they are offering and were struck by the enthusiasm and sheer enjoyment of all of the actors and directors present. This is a collaboration among four companies which participated in Cena Brasil Internacional Theatre Festival’s artist residency, in Rio de Janeiro 2012, who have now teamed up to form the Brazilian Theatre Season during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from the 4th to 24th August.
The EICC as a venue is now very lovely. The four performances are being staged in the new part of the building only recently completed, so this is one venue which is completely accessible.
We met some of the people involved:-
The Weaver is a wordless spectacle that tells the story of a woman who has the power to convert her wishes into reality and, through her creativity, conquer her loneliness of her days. To present the story of a woman capable of materialising an imaginary universe, the production beats in a language combination, such as puppet theatre, video, dance and illusionism.
Kabul – Delve into an Afghanistan traumatized by 20 years of war and succumbing to the tyranny of fundamentalists. An image captured on a mobile phone in November 1999 shows a woman, covered in a blue burka (head to toe veil) being publicly executed in a Kabul stadium. The play presents four faces of the war, four portraits of Afghanistan seen from inside houses, behind curtains and under veils in search of dignity and humanity.
Leonce and Lena – Written in 1836 is a play by Georg Büchner. Leonce and Lena tells the story of an angst-ridden prince from the Kingdom of Popo, and Lena, a suffering princess from the neighbouring Kingdom of Pipi, deciding to run away after rejecting their arranged marriage and driven by chance, they meet and fall in love with each other, without knowing their true identities. In an absurd situation, the King accepts to marry two puppets so as not to cancel the expected wedding festivities.
Water Stain – Having a safe life that is void of excitement is all Laura has known that is until one day when she finds a large fish that has mysteriously materialized in her backyard. As the surreal situation unfolds, she finds old disturbing memories reawakened that she had thought were long buried. She faces the inevitable. She needs to chose between the cure that will lead her safely back to her boring life, or give in to the symptoms to pursue memories and rebuild relationships and affections.
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I’ve just taken my family to see Teatro Machina’s production of Leonce and Lena at Venue 150 @ EICC. Buchner’s difficult text has been deftly cut and the hour passes quickly with the Brazilian ensemble delivering an energetic, engaging, physical and funny performance. Fantastic soundscapes throughout. it’s worth going just for the bees. This is what the fringe is all about. Texts reinvented and creative. Easily worth the 15 minutes walk out of the centre, it’s such a shame that there were seats going spare at the performance that I was at. This is a show not to miss.
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