What this also underlies the Onni.
VC: It's a delightful comedy directed by John Mowat, who is a wonderful director.
Why choosing English director for a play about three cultures that are completely unrelated to him?
VC: Africa, Portugal and Brazil, three actresses on stage, a Portuguese, a Brazilian and an African and had to be John Mowat, because he is a physical theater director and with whom I had long wanted to work. Then I wanted to tell about the discoveries of the Indian perspective, so wanted it to be a comedy, especially to debut in Portugal, wanted it to be something offensive. As I am a fan of English humor, Monty Python, so it had to be to do so, because the House of Portuguese language is the approximation of the communities, it has to be Lusophone.
The Portuguese felt shocked by the play?
VC: No, they love it. We've been to several international theater, the MITO (international exhibition of theater in Oeiras), then received an invitation from the International Festival of Covilha, we were in Viseu and in Chapitô did a great season. After, one of the actresses became pregnant and we had to stop. A person loved because comedy has a funny thing has to do with the truth, when the public identifies the fact there is no chance them there is the comedy, when speaking of the discovery of Brazil there has no chance.
The stumbling upon.
VC: Yes it's true! (Laughs).
When I discussed the issue of duality was also because it appears in a musical project, which is "a little corner and two guitars."
VC: Now is a corner, two guitars, a bass and a saxophone, soon there will be repercussions. It's something that began with bossa nova, a guitar and I, alone, and then all the songs that came turned bossa nova was funny and then this junction with the Jazz and ended making many Portuguese songs with bossa nova.
Another component of this House of Portuguese language is "recreating" in Tires jail.
VC: I do social work for many years. Since 2004 started in the neighborhood of Turela, which is an African community, of Cape Vert, then went to the Navigators, there was for a long time, it was a profound work. I always wanted to work in prison, the first unit was closed Caxias with young people, it was my first experience. Then I always wanted to work with women, then, as a volunteer, I spoke with the director of this institution, showed the work that had been already done, created a project and she accepted immediately, so we went to prison paste posters and waited for those women. Altogether 15 women enrolled, I developed a work with them, a play that they represented. The goals and success achieved exceeded our expectations on all levels.
What was the feedback from the public and them of this work?
VC: In the beginning of the 15 women, six did not speak, the other five were requisite by one of them and I went there with the help of the psychotherapist Assumption Grade, the two of us, the theater breaks all these addictions putting everyone in a level that is of the human being. Then everyone starts to relate on another level, this group was totally transformed, was a weekly meeting, where there were many tissues, a lot of crying, lots of laughter, hugs achievement in the performing and then this group transformed their ward, in turn it reflected in the pavilion. When we did the final show, on the day that they enter with a song of Mercedes Souza, which reads: Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto ... they thanked both life with a flower that delivered to the others and it was wonderful.
It's a catharsis for them?
VC: There is an expanding awareness of who we are, what we're doing here, what our limits are, where we came from and where we go. For example, I had a woman in a meditation exercise, when we finish I asked how it was for her, those who just are able to close their eyes, she told me so: I did not know there're birds here. And I when I first entered the premises, I thought thank god, here is flock of birds and she was there for seven years! And all this time she did not know there were birds, only as an example of the stress. No matter where you are, you can modify your present, the moment of power is now and then myself transformed me as a person, realizing that they are distresses are the same as ours outside. Then you begin to realize what prison is, you start from there.
Why some of them do not shut their eyes?
VC: Some cannot dominate the body, cannot relax, cannot breathe, it's a state of constant alert.
Other aspect of your program is African music.
VC: All these projects are related to the house of the Portuguese language. The core is an association that created the house. Within this institution, we have created this audiovisual project called "we are together" which is a partnership with African music channel, where I host the program and get three musicians, one from Brazil, African and Portugal, the last program had Rui Veloso, Lura and Luis Avelarque, this was a show. Are 42 guests and it has to do with the mission of the house is the reaching of the communities through art. It is an informal conversation where there is a jam session with improvisations and then realized that despite these differences there are similarities in terms of musical references. I am very happy with this program, broadcasted by the African music channel and we are in negotiations with other channels to see if we can expand the program and make the second series.
The house has another project in the near future?
VC: Yes, I want to reset the Onni for the coming year. The "Chico in Pessoa" will run more, we want to go to Angola, Guinea, Cape Vert and Brazil. We want to do one more good season in Lisbon and then come so many ideas that we need to focus on a few at a time. Then there is the very structure of CLIP that is a lot of work, because we intend to achieve a partnership, a provision of a space for the house has to have a ceiling and floor. Until now we have always had partnerships, but we want to have a seat in the future, the lesson is that the house is for professionals who want to have training, we have the "recreating", but the mission of CLIP's work is aimed at the professional, joining all of various ethnicities and backgrounds, to compel the inflection and exchange.
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