Trilogy The Agamemnon, The Choephori and The Eumenides
by Aeschylus
directed by Rui Madeira
Following “The Bacchae”, by Euripides, produced by CTB in 2008, a project which integrated structures, institutions and actors of Portugal, Brazil and Africa (Mozambique), occurring the various stages of artistic creation and presentation of the play in Bahia / Camaçari and Salvador, Braga / Portugal and São Paulo / Brazil, CTB presents now project ORESTEIA.
The Oresteia is a creation as part of Braga 2012 – European Capital of Youth program, that CTB proposes to co-produce with other national and international structures, namely: Theatro Circo (Braga), Teatro Municipal de Almada and Teatro Constantino Nery (Matosinhos) as part of Acto 5 – a national project for network programming – and Circuito de Teatro (em) Português (São Paulo/Brazil), and Dragão 7 – Instituto de Artes, Intercambio e Cidadania de São Paulo / Brasil.
It will seek support for production in Braga 2012 - European Capital of Youth program, Projecto BragaCult, within the framework of parallel workshops, Cena Lusófona, and it will also seek support to the tour in Brazil, as part of Cultural celebrations of Portugal / Brazil.
“I dedicate my tragedies to Time”
Aeschylus
“Behold this twofold tyranny of our land. They that slew the father and despoiled the house.”
Orestes/The Choephori
The Oresteia, Europe’s tragedy
searching for a political theatre
"With Oresteia, we want to establish ourselves in the contemporaneity. In OURSELVES! In our – by bastards’ heritage – Europe. In this mythical, beautiful and hot Europe, which bathed itself in Peloponnesus and was breastfed in the crib by Hellas, so that we don’t let Memory betray us. The old will of destruction of our beloved Europe, for so long cherished, now rages and the new Turks are, after all, our brothers of yesterday. Today they are among us and waiting for the moment.
With Oresteia, we want to establish ourselves in Europe starting from the South. With our feet in the Mediterranean sands, a ceiling of stars above, illuminated by an oil lamp and with an olive branch in our hand…
Europe has lost its route when returning from the war. The commanders scattered, drunk and, puffed up of power, declared war on people. This Europe, home of Atreus, crib of civilization and cultures, with habits of acquaintanceship between humans and gods is captive like Cassandra.
Europe, this whole Europe, arrogant and hungry starved, niece of all mental cripple from the Second World War, is the Europe of leaders/puppets, with armour of Gods on an Olympus circus. With masks of empty eyes and teeth stolen on concentration camps, oil funnels in their mouths and outline made of bones in mass graves. They continue to raze the altars, because nothing arouses indignation anymore. There are no gods to save us, neither men to call them.
Our Europe is now a shapeless jelly-like mass that clings to what happens.
With Oresteia, the masks of this European tragedy hide singular faces of “punishing gods that democracy erected”, and from the top of their Olympus, they look with boast the Chorus of disinherited that wander dazed and begin to interrogate the capital, such ex-machine.god.
And so, in this tragic trilogy, between gods without lineage and human dehumanized, we will rehearsal a new paradigm of JUSTICE.
With Oresteia, what is told is the history of this Europe, after de second war, prostrated and dying, tired of victory. It is divided as a disagreed family, where hatred, jealousy and intrigue prevail. Such Europe / Clytemnestra is one step closer, whore and mother, Agamémnon e Aegisthus, Orestes e Electra. This Europe with so many Cassandras in the ear.
This Europe, the Mediterranean, has to free itself and finish once and for all with the old Gods that want to madden us. Nor are we condemned, as Iphigenia, nor are we so fickle, as Helena. The war, this war, is to be won by choirs of Athenian citizens".
Rui Madeira
Project ORESTEIA: Agamemnon, The Choephori and The Eumenides
By: Aeschylus
Translation: Doutor Manuel de Oliveira Pulquério
Direction and Dramaturgy: Rui Madeira
Direction assistance: Nuno Campos Monteiro
Dramaturgical support: Doutora Ana Lúcia Curado
Actors: Ana Bustorff, André Laires, António Jorge, Carlos Feio, Eduardo Chagas, Frederico Bustorff Madeira, Jaime Monsanto, Rogério Boane, Solange Sá
Coros/Choruses: Ana Cristina Oliveira, André Antunes, André Pacheco, Cristiano Lima, Deolinda Mendes, Helena Guimarães, Hugo Silva, Humberto Almeida, João Chelo, Joaquim Carvalho, Jorge Bentes Paulo, José Augusto Ribeiro, José Domingos Marinho, Judite Pregueiro, Maria Elisa Fernandes, Maria Julita Capelo, Manuela Artilheiro, Tatiana Mendes, Teodorico Enes
Coros/Choruses: Ana Cristina Oliveira, André Antunes, André Pacheco, Cristiano Lima, Deolinda Mendes, Helena Guimarães, Hugo Silva, Humberto Almeida, João Chelo, Joaquim Carvalho, Jorge Bentes Paulo, José Augusto Ribeiro, José Domingos Marinho, Judite Pregueiro, Maria Elisa Fernandes, Maria Julita Capelo, Manuela Artilheiro, Tatiana Mendes, Teodorico Enes
Mask Design: António Jorge
Sets and Costumes: Samuel Hof
Light Design: Fred Rompante
Video Design: Frederico Bustorff Madeira
Sound Design: Luis Lopes
Graphic Design: Carlos Sampaio
Photography: Paulo Nogueira
