You said a little theater group is a distinct marks where's the difference?
HS: We started the activities for children not to be treated as "mentally ill", or below. We use stronger texts and work together to assemble the shows. Bearing in mind what they think, what they want and if they understand the world around. At the same time we do the training with children at the end insert these teachings in a show where they participate.
Another way we mark the difference is thru the shows are performative. I give you an example, we ride the circus on the street, only with clowns and that is unusual in Valongo. The theater groups have a standard repertoire, or some internal work, write the texts themselves, while we bet on a more street theater, with more compressed time, fifteen to twenty minutes at most. The Portugal of loggerhead is one of these examples, we set up a scenographic tent in public grown, like in the time of King Henry and only ten people at the time could to see the shows. The actors were always working for a whole afternoon, every fifteen minutes there was a presentation of the history of Portugal with dolls. Thus, this compress time and proximity to the public has much better result. We are different for that reason. Moliere's play that took the scene, it was important to promote the name, thus ensuring a more popular show, attracting the public and to associate this event with a mark, which is heads on the air and feet on the ground, and then we can focus more strongly on this difference.
There is public for your performances? What kind of people watches your shows?
HS: There is. In Porto, the public does not know us and only went to see the piece because of the name, Moliere, this author is a stamp of quality, already know about the text. They know that will be fun, it's a comedy and not a drama and it's easy to "sell." In this sense it was popular; know the story, the author and I know they will laugh. The public that follows us is different. As we have many courses with children what happens is they want us to see on stage and because they can never came alone they bring the parents. They eventually like to go to the theater and talk about it with people who normally would not watch a play. Take the case of two couples who will always see our shows, had never gone to see shows to date, this taste came through the children. This is very interesting, because it is a new audience that does not go to the theater by prejudice, by ignorance and the idea that the plays are very boring
Do you think the theater is supported as it should?
HS: It's a difficult question. We as a group do not have any kind of financial support. What sustains us results of training with children, because it has a great acceptance. So we have been able to funnel money into the productions. I think that support should be given, and a year from now you may be completely wrong, the state should do it in terms of material, theaters provide with adequate infrastructure, so that groups could access this network of spaces freely. Staging most popular pieces in order to sustain the performances by lesser-known texts that would be paid by the others. Sometimes the bet in this kind of drama that is less known and attracts less public is supported with a grant of a dubious way. Another solution would be a part of the ticket revenue was returned at the IRS. Cause me an embarrassment to talk about it. How can we be assessed by the activity of a subsequent year, when we have no idea of what will be the situation next year? At the artistic level there may be an idea that motivates us to mount a show. After the assessment is summarize in three pages, what kind of project, there is no follow up to verify if the money is being well spent and even the quality of the performances on stage.
That's why, the training and in the performances is important to be independent financially and artistically?
HS: That's what we want, although we have not reached that level. The ultimate goal is that, for this reason I spoke of a material support. We work as a company, we sell a product that people buy or not. In, Portugal is a mentality that passes through of the free invitation. In the play we did in Porto, we offer very few, why? Because it disparages our work becomes a game in exchange for a paper. People do not think that is what makes the survival of the actor. They are still used to go to the theater for free. The representation has to be seen as required in any other work and being rewarded for that and that this is not a hobby. We do this job in a serious way to attract and regulate the public to our shows in a chain, because it is a cultural service.
What is your next project?
HS: We are preparing a text, "the two lost in a dirty night," a Brazilian author, Plinio Marcos. We are approaching in terms of construction, it is a dialogue between two unemployed, living in a semi-abandoned warehouse and struggling for their daily survival. We want to use this text and do a show just for two people, an actor and an actress instead of theaters will occupy abandoned sites, we have two locations in mind with the permission of the owners, and we will take the audience inside.
You want the public has a sense of discomfort?
HS: We would like the public to feel comfortable inside. These two people live there. The last test will be done on site, and spend as much time as possible there to make it our home. We are collecting recyclable materials and offers to make that environment as comfortable as possible, it would be like in the case of the characters. We want you to feel a warm, but a step in the degradation, because there are people living without light, light up with candles and eat things that others threw in the trash. The premiere is scheduled for August 20 in Valongo, where we intend to start the season.
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