International Seminar of Established Critics
Almada International Theater Festival, Portugal
July 2007
The Almada International Theater Festival took place in Almada (a small city next to Lisbon), Portugal, on July fourth through 18th. An International Seminar of Established Critics took place as part of the Festival, on July fifth, sixth and seventh. Its topic was Dramaturgical and Scenographic Fictions: Convergences/Confrontations. This subject was open to interpretation.
The venue was an turn-of-the-century villa in Almada, the Casa de Cerca.
On July 5, the seminar opened with addresses from: Joaquim Benite (Director of the International Theatre Festival of Almada and The Almada Municipal Theatre), the Mayor of Almada, and Maria Helena Serodia (President of the Portuguese Association of Theatre Critics).
The critics then presented their papers.
Ian Herbert (UK, president of the IATC) spoke on Design as Performance. He reported on the Prague Quadrennial (the international competitive exhibition of scenography and theatre architecture), which he attended earlier this year. He noted that the US designers excelled. Speaking more generally, he differentiated between designer-artists (“design is the intent and content of their work”) and designer-craftsmen (who subordinate themselves the production). He advocates a team working together, not a theatre led by designers.
Jean-Pierre Han (France) spoke on Une “friction” entre la dramaturgie at le scenographie, in French.
Don Rubin (Canada) spoke on Critical Confrontations with Imagery. He talked about theatre in the dithyrambic tradition, which comes to us as text, as opposed to theatre as spectacle. Even Aeschylus, he pointed out, made use of spectacle He suggested that spectacle is more important to audiences than we judge it to be..
The July sixth session opened with a detailed address on the architecture of the Almada Municipal Theatre. Then the critics’ presentations continued.
Juan Antonio Hormigon (Spain) spoke on Una clave en la concepcion el espacio escenico del siglo XX, in French. It concerned the history of design and the effects of technology.
Yun-Cheol Kim (South Korea) spoke on Two Approaches to History in Contemporary Korean Theatre. He discussed directors Oh Tae-Suk and Lee Yun-taek, whose work contemporizes Korean history. Time and place are determined by dramatic need rather than situation.
Herve Gauy: (Canada) spoke on L’esprit des lieux: A propos d’un des effets des fictions scenographiques, in French. His presentation concerned French Canadian designer-directors who base their conception of the production on design. Herve pointed out, in discussion, that younger directors are more partial to this approach.
Steve Capra (USA), your humble scribe, spoke on Scenic Design and Theatrical Weight. My talk was concerned with the various degrees of importance that design has in productions, with several photographs. I cited sets from The Metropolitan Opera, Robert Wilson, Richard Foreman, and other designers. My presentation ended with a video of a performance by The Living Theatre in Times Square, reminding the panel that no design -– in fact, no theatre building -- is necessary in the theatre.
On the third day, Aleks Sierz (UK) spoke on New Writing in Britain: How do we Define the Contemporary?. He sees new writing as a British phenomenon, characterized by its
history, its writers, and its institutions. It exhibits contemporary allusions, contemporary issues, contemporary provocations, and contemporary forms
The public attended the seminar on this day (it was well attended, filling the medium-sized room). A panel of speakers summarized the content of the critics’ talks in Portuguese, French and English. Then they took questions from the public, in Portuguese.
Each session was followed by luncheon on the terrace under the umbrella pines.
In short the experience was almost totally satisfying for the critic. Our hosts were enormously hospitable. The only concern was the inevitable language problem. Talks given in French were summarized in English (and vice-versa), but the summaries were never satisfying. Ian Herbert pointed out that French summaries said different things from English summaries of the same talks.
In the evenings, of course, we attended the theatre. The productions I saw were meticulously, flawlessly presented:
Nada, ou o silencio de Beckett
from the Teatro de Marionetas do Porto, Portugal
by Joao Paulo Seara Cardoso
Nothing, or The Silence of Beckett
In the Palco Grande of the Escola D. Antonio da Costa (a grammar school), an outdoor theatre.
This was a marvelous puppet theatre with nearly no dialogue. It was based on the plays of Beckett. The visual images were striking: puppets carrying trunks, puppets in straight jackets, puppets trembling, with references to Waiting for Godot, Happy Days, and the other plays.
Concerto de Rabih Abou-Khalil
Concert with Abou-Khalil, a Lebanese musician, his band, and two fado singers (Ricardo Ribeiro and Tania Oleiro)
From the Teatro Nacional de S. Joao, Portugal
Lyrics by Jacinto Lucas Pires
in the Sala Principal of Sao Luiz – Teatro Municipal (Lisbon)
This superb group included a lute, drums, guitar, accordion and other instruments, along with the fado singers.
Sizwe Banzi est Mort
Size Banzi is Dead
By Athol Fugard
Directed by Peter Brook
From Centre International de Creations Theatrales
Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, France
in the Sala Principal of the Teatro Municipal de Almada
This was Peter Brook’s famous production, in French with Portuguese surtitles.
Recital of Cancoes Heroicas (Heroic Songs)
By Fernando Lopes Graca
Company: Criacao Colectiva
In the Forum Romeu Correia (Almada)
This was a fascinating production, recited and sung in Portuguese, from poems by
14 Portuguese poets and other traditional poems. The piece debuted last October. It’s comprised of great, complex music, mixing key-based and atonal styles. Pieces might begin as spoken words and then become songs. The pieces were banned under Salazar (the Portuguese dictator), although the texts were available. All the poems address social or political concerns. They presentation was very traditional, with actors in a formal row on a bare stage.
Photos:
One of The Met’s sets for Turandot. The people in the foreground are the chorus, not the audience. The sets cost $1.5 mm in 1987. Courtesy of the Met.
The Living Theatre in Times Square. Courtesy of The Living Theatre.
I just went to Greenland for five days, which was a phenomenal experience. It's not the first place you think of for theatre, but there is a gorgeous new cultural center in Nuuk, the country's capital. (In the smaller port town of Sisimuit, an arts center is currently under construction, as the people are demanding it!) While I wasn't able to catch any shows on my brief visit, that shouldn't stop you! 
The Katuaq Cultural Centre website explains: "Greenland is known as the biggest island in the world. For some, its a shock that people live in this big ice cap! It may look like an ice cap on an atlas but the breathing life of its culture is a different story. The story can be told through the art vessel of Greenland: Katuaq Cultural Centre. Situated in Nuuk, Greenland, the culture house was born from the many ideas and suggestions from artists, city councils, musicians, and actors. The people wanted and needed a house to display and preserve Greenlandic art through music, theatre and sculptures. Hence, a resolution was created between the Greenland Home Rule Government, Nuup Kommunea and the Nordic Ministerial Council; to construct such an institution to strengthen cultural life in Greenland."
