The programming of the Seixal Theater Festival 2024, which takes place from November 14 to 24 in a decentralized manner across the various parishes of the municipality, will focus on issues such as the conquest of rights and freedoms after the April revolution, the defence of fundamental human rights, and the full exercise of citizenship, in a year that marks the 50th anniversary of April 25, 1974.
In its 41st edition, this major cultural event prioritizes projects by contemporary authors and emerging artists and brings to Seixal some of the best companies from the region and the country. There will be three shows with audio description and sign language interpretation, and for two of these, the Seixal City Council will provide a bus for blind people between the Fogueteiro Train Station and the Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum. Another highlight will be the holding of a Theater Creation Workshop aimed at school audiences.
The 41st edition of the Seixal Theater Festival is back with a program of entirely free shows. This year, eight plays will be presented, addressing current themes, significant texts, and the best dramaturgy, signed by companies with great national visibility, including Animateatro, the theatre company from the municipality of Seixal.
Paulo Silva, president of the Seixal City Council, states that “this decentralization and free access represent a clear commitment to democratizing access to culture, as a condition that enhances our community life, makes us question who we are, and brings us closer to others. The set of performances on display also aims to contribute to a reflection on democracy in a constantly evolving world – marked by environmental, economic, social, and cultural challenges – and the role it plays as a guarantor of equality, representation, and inclusion.”
The program of the 41st Seixal Theater Festival promotes the debate of ideas and the audience’s critical capacity regarding relevant contemporary issues; it favours activist projects that promote citizenship, social awareness, identity building, and interculturality, by contemporary authors and emerging artists. In a year celebrating the 50 years of April 25, issues such as the conquest of rights and freedoms after the revolution, the defence of fundamental human rights, and the full exercise of citizenship are discussed.
Program:
- November 14, Thursday, 9:30 PM
“Climate Urgency,” by Hotel Europa
Venue: Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum
Synopsis: “Climate Urgency” is a theatre play that is timely and is based on the nearly unanimous idea among scientists that climate change is the main cause of a high number of natural disasters.
Accessibility: Portuguese Sign Language and Audio Description.
Transport by bus for blind people
For this show, the Seixal City Council will provide bus transportation for blind people between the Fogueteiro train station and the Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum. - November 15, Friday, 9:30 PM
“Candeia Acesa,” by Animateatro
Venue: Powder Factory of Vale de Milhaços
Synopsis: A tribute to fado, to destiny, as a motor for renewal. Revealing the discrepancy between the rural and the urban, between the literate and the illiterate, between dream and reality, we propose a furtive meeting at a place that promises to be free, still shadowed by the oppression of a world stifled by totalitarianism. We peek, by the light of lamplight, at three wills, eager for change. Wills that were felt in the pre-April 25… - November 16, Saturday, 4 PM
“In My Neighborhood,” by Sociedade das Primas – Cultural Association
Venue: Teatro da Terra Space – Center for Artistic Creation
Synopsis: “In My Neighborhood” is an ode to diversity and respect for individuality. The show is a creation for children and a theatrical adaptation of the book of the same name by writer Lúcia Vicente. “In My Neighborhood” combines literature, music, and theatre to tell the story of several children who talk and question themselves about representation and gender, family, and ethnic diversity, as well as cross-cutting issues such as disability, feminism, and bullying. A performance that aims to provoke reflection not only from children but also from parents and educators accompanying them, giving them the necessary tools to address the fracturing themes of society. - November 17, Sunday, 4 PM
“Portable Democracy,” by José Leite
Venue: Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum
Synopsis: “He: It’s in us. Within us. Rooted in our values. It’s portable. It goes with us everywhere. It’s an inner force we carry with us in all circumstances. It’s beautiful to imagine democracy inside us, isn’t it?
She: Portable democracy. That’s right. We cannot only demand democracy in the outside world but cultivate it inside us and defend it. We have to cultivate our inner garden. The more we know the timeline, the more capable we are of protecting what we value.”Accessibility: Portuguese Sign Language and Audio Description. - November 21, Thursday, 3 PM and 9 PM
“Magdalena,” by Teatro Bravo
Venue: Amora Secondary School
Synopsis: Two actors set off with backpacks and traverse peripheral areas of Portugal. On their journey, they encounter fragments of places doomed to be forgotten. They interact with the people of those places and fill their backpacks with their unheard voices, their forgotten stories, and the individual strength that builds the country.
3 PM: Reserved for students of Amora Secondary School.
9 PM: General public, by prior reservation. - November 22, Friday, 9:30 PM
“1984,” by Artistas Unidos
Venue: Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum
Synopsis: “Big Brother is always watching you.” This warning governs the frightening and dystopian future of George Orwell’s classic, 1984, adapted for the stage by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. The totalitarian party forbids individualism, independence, and free-thinking, distorting the past to its will and controlling citizens with fear and violence. In the heart of this dark world, Winston Smith dares to dream of a world free from Big Brother. Through small acts of defiance – starting a diary, falling in love – a solitary man strives to defend truth, freedom, and hope for future generations. - November 23, Saturday, 9:30 PM
“Trash,” by teatroàfaca
Venue: Municipal Auditorium of Miratejo
Synopsis: “Trash” is the portrait of a young writer trapped at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without work, money, social life, and prospects for improvement, the succession of events and circumstances transports the young man into a spiral of rapid degeneration of his mental health, until comparing his existence to garbage. He finds himself forced to seek alternative ways to deal with life and to feel present. - November 24, Sunday, 5 PM
“The Size of Things,” by Terra Amarela
Venue: Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum
Synopsis: “The Size of Things” investigates the life of a man who is continually changing dimensions; now growing to become a giant stomping among Lilliputian cities, now shrinking to a microscopic scale, when the smallest crack in the ground becomes an insurmountable abyss. Or is it the world around him that is changing?
Accessibility: Portuguese Sign Language and Audio Description.
Transport by bus for blind people
For this performance, the Seixal City Council will provide bus transportation for blind people between the Fogueteiro train station and the Municipal Auditorium of the Seixal Cultural Forum.
Complementary Activity – Theater Creation Workshops
- “How to draw a territory?”, by Marco Paiva (Terra Amarela).
Marco Paiva graduated in Theater – Actor Training, from the Superior School of Theater and Cinema, and founded, in 2018, Terra Amarela – Inclusive Artistic Creation Platform, which develops its work around accessible culture and inclusive artistic practices.
Always confirm with the concert hall or promoter the conditions of access, confirmation of the date or time, ticket place of sale, price, and availability.
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