Contagem Regressiva (Countdown) was a devised final show of two months of residency with the Brazilian Company Foguetes Maravilha at SESC Belenzinho, an important cultural centre in São Paulo. It was a process of collaborative creation under the supervision of Alex Cassal and Renato Linhares with artists from many parts of Brazil. The focus was on creating dramaturgy as a collective. The starting point for the creation of the show was:
A group of people are locked in a theatre after a mortal snow outside, so they have to learn new habits, and build new relationships based in a new culture and society within an isolated environment.
We did two performances in July 2014 and this wonderful experience with such talented group of people transformed me as an artist and encouraged me to write more. Performing it was deliciously fun.
Synopsis
Imagine if out of the blue it's starting to snow in São Paulo. A strange snow, surreal, that would cover all the city and would kill everybody ever touched by it. Just 10 people survive, a group of 10 actors that were rehearsing inside a theatre in São Paulo.
This was the starting point for the collective creation proposed by Foguetes Maravilha for a group of actors, performers, dancers and writers.
There were successive failed attempts of living together, baby powder clouds, locked up lifts, mutant bathers, giant blankets, guitar solos, dance numbers, couples arguing and melons.
It was intensive, exciting and melancholic. And finito.
Credits
Directed by Alex Cassal and Renato Linhares
Dramaturgy supervision by Alex Cassal
With texts and performance by
Thiago Di Giovanni, Filipe Steffen, Elaine Alves, Fernanda Mandagará, Paulo Victor Gandra, Caroline Morais, Bruna Seixas, Bobby Baq, Anna Clara Carvalho e José Andery
Produced by Sesc Belenzinho and
Gallery
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges
Photo by Rafa Borges