Edgard Fernandes started in theater in Madeira School Theater Group in "the moniz" where he won for two consecutive years the award for Best Actor. Worked in the Professional Experimental Theatre Group of Funchal and is currently a member of the Puppet Theatre of Porto.
This year you will celebrate twenty year career, looking back this is the career who dreamed when you started?
Edgard Fernandes: No, but in a good way. Thought I was putting myself in a crazy adventure, I could never make it as a career, fortunately always been active, never had any period without work.
It was important to have left the island at that time?
EF: It was, if I am not mistaken in 1996. The theater at that time was almost none existent. Today there is more because it has some development tanks to the school theater group and the experimental theater of Funchal, but at some point I felt that I was stagnating and needed more training to be able to evolve as a professional, I felt that this was what I wanted to do and had even need to leave.
But it was only a matter of natural progression in professional terms, or also felt that being that in an island you would not have the opportunities, challenges desirable later?
EF: No, it was more for training. Especially because I insist on one day, not too far away to go back to Madeira. It has always been my corner. Despite being on the continent for 17 years I feel very Madeiran and unlike many people who want to leave the island, I want to go back, because I want to be able to develop and help people such as I had no training and can have it without leaving Madeira.
You are an artist, teacher, and do voiceovers for animated film, an actor in the Puppet Theatre of Oporto (PTO), in which these strands feel a greater pleasure as a professional?
EF: They are all linked to interpretation. Basically it's something that I really like, which is to interpret. I can say that of all of these areas the one that gives me more pleasure is the Puppet Theatre of Porto. It is a company where I have been here for 13 years and where my teacher of interpretation, John Paulo Seara Cardoso, instructed me professionally as interpreter and helped me further refine my interpretation. Hence always felt accomplished, although in other parts I'm happy, I feel completely at PTO.
How is to be an actor in a puppet theater?
EF: It's very special, this company has a very interesting journey, because none of the actors have training puppeteer. We are all actors. What sets the PTO is that it is not a puppet theater, i.e., a puppeteer hidden behind a scene, but we are always present. The public can see the puppet and the actor, because as the puppet is made of wood or fiber has no physical expression and we ensure that human part to the marionette. That is what motivates and interests me enough.
In a play there is a text, the essays and you need to embody the character, on one of the spectacles of PTO although there is also a stage and a story to tell, how is whole process as an actor?
EF: It's done exactly the same way as would be done in a show without puppets, is as I said before, the PTO is an exception to the rule, and we developed an innovative work. We started with the actor before the puppet, because it takes some time for the puppet to be built. A show takes 3 and half months to be assembled. The research work on the character is begun with our bodies. Then the person who manufactures the puppet learns through our physical expression and construct it more easily, we worked full time at the company.
And also have a director.
EF: Yes, we had until 2010 as the director João Paulo Seara Cardoso who sadly passed away that same year. At this time, Isabel Barros is the new in charge, but everyone in the company, because we are interpreters, all seven also are creators. There is obviously a person to direct, but we are all part of the act, creating performances.
How do proceed to the choice of texts? It's different because it's puppets?
EF: Is similarly. The PTO performs per year, a show for adults and one for children. By 2010 the original texts were from John Paul Seara Cardoso, were using improvisation as it created pieces for the younger ones. For the more mature audience, we set exceptionally classics, already staged "Macbeth" of Shakespeare, "Medeias charms" of António José da Silva and other plays, but as a rule, the shows come from improvisations in rehearsals and from there we set texts.
What is the formula for success of PTO? There are many groups or theaters without an audience and over the years you always managed to maintain a regular activity.
EF: It has a lot to do with the will of all rowing in the same direction, I know it's a cliché, but we are seven in the company and from production, interpretation, construction of puppets, we all believed in this project, because it is very innovative. This company not only working actors interpretation, as we also do experiments with multimedia, dance and think the success is there. Normally, puppetry is seen as a lesser art, which is only for children, but we do not. The person watching for the first time a play have this pleasant surprise, because shows are for people, whether children or adults, and with the same dignity, whether it is with or without puppets. Even now we set up a show "Mr. Hic" in which puppets were created in 3D, ceased to be manipulated by us and so we tried to cross the many languages of art.
Being an artist, a professional how he sees the world of the arts in Portugal?
EF: If this is too complicated and I confess I'm too afraid, perhaps for the policy that is being applied in our government, in Europe and worldwide. Unfortunately our leaders have not realized that culture is the most important areas for the development of a society here and I see that this is being vandalized as the scandalous affair of the House of Music, a brutal investment, which hosts performances from worldwide and currently had a 30% cuts in its annual budget. At PTO we are on standby until March which is when subsidies are allocated, but we continued to have a day job, because fortunately we have many scheduled tours. Much of our revenue comes from these performances we showed off Portugal.
It's enough to keep the PTO sustainable?
EF: This is not an easy question to answer, if we take into account the public's PTO, it would be possible, but not in the same way today, because our work is very intensive, eight hours in this company. We would have to have a second job, but it was possible. Now we are opening the first museum of puppetry in the country, we will be the first theater company with our own estate and is particularly noteworthy, because we have no official support from the state.
It is in your facilities?
EF: No, it's near here, on the streets of Flores, in a building that was leased and restored, will be inaugurated on February 3rd.
Is there any show that throughout your career has scored the most?
EF: Yes, it's the show I'm doing, is a solo, a monologue, which was made by John Paul Seara Cardoso, who was released twenty years after his death and I succeeded him. It is very special to me, because it had to drive me; the whole process of creation came about through a DVD. It is someone I admire greatly and was a very important person in my life and an incredible challenge. It sucked all of me, the feeling, the emotion, the interpretation is the character of my life and I'll do it in February. I liked to take it to Madeira, but has not been easy, I have obtained no feedback. There is a person interested to bring the show there, but has been unable to muster the necessary support. The shows have its costs, but there are logistical complications, however, the scenario fits all in a bag. The play is called Little Red Riding Hood XXX is for adults, which do not have puppets, objects yes, I can give an example; the big bad wolf is a chicken that will seek every day to the butcher. (Laughs) It's a very interesting work!
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