A Colónia

dramaturgy and direction Marco Martins

Arena Ensemble

Out of all the victims of the brutal Estado Novo regime, the children of its political opponents are possibly among the most forgotten. A Colónia [The Camp], the newest creation of the film-maker and stage director Marco Martins, was inspired by a piece written by the journalist Joana Pereira Bastos on an unprecedented initiative: a summer camp for the children of political prisoners that was held in Caldas da Rainha between July and August 1972. During that time, eighteen children whose lives had been marked by clandestinity, suffering and solitude learned for the first time to play together and be free. The cast Marco Martins has assembled (which includes some people who actually attended the camp) draws upon a number of personal stories and experiences to activate a broader reflection on history, memory and oppression, where the legacy of protest songs also plays a key role. “At night, I would imagine my father leaving his cell in the Peniche fort and walking across the beach towards us, accompanied by the other prisoners. I imagined them sitting down next to us and singing with us. That image in my head was so powerful it almost seemed real.”

Credits

dramaturgy and direction Marco Martins based on an article by Joana Pereira Bastos, documents and testimonials from all the cast and works by Bertolt Brecht, Czeslaw Milosz, Deborah Levy, Filippo Marinetti, Gonçalo M. Tavares, Jean-Luc Godard/Anne-Marie Miéville, Slavoj Žižek, William Shakespeare cast Conceição Lopes, Conceição Matos, Domingos Abrantes, Humberto Candeias, Manuela Canais Rocha, Olga Sequeira Santos, Rita Veloso, Valentina Marcelino and João Pedro Vaz, Sara Carinhas, Ana Vilaça, Rodrigo Tomás and Anderson Ramos, Arthur Lupi, Beatriz Ribeiro, Diana Soares, Inês Paulino, Joaquim Queiroz, Laura Trueb, Leonardo Martins, Lurdes Ferraz, Milena Mavie, Niurka Sacramento, Pedro Conceição direction assistance and dramaturgy support Rita Quelhas research and direction assistance support Gaspar Nascimento music B-Fachada, João Pimenta Gomes with Coro Infantil e Juvenil Lisboa Cantat conductors Jorge Carvalho Alves, Sílvio Cortez singers Ada Roque, Alice Rocha, Luísa Melo, Luísa Sousa, Maria Leote, Rita Rocha, Sofia Reis, Sofia Santos, Vitória Francês lighting design Nuno Meira
set design Isabel Cordovil, João Romão (xxxi.studio) sound design Vítor Santos movement Vânia Rovisco movement assistance Hugo Marmelada executive production Joana Goldschmidt
coordination and production direction Mariana Brandão produced by Arena Ensemble co-produced by Culturgest, RTP – Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, Teatro Nacional São João opening 5 Dec 2024 Culturgest (Lisboa)