In the day you want me was your last performance?
MFR: Yes, it's a piece that begins with a segment of the book of Genesis, which is not really a poem, but that reflects on the origin of the world and introduces a number of poetic texts by different authors, among them Fernando Pessoa. The idea came from a challenge to dramatize launched to the director and set up a show where there are characters and a plot. It is a reflection on life. What we're doing here in the background.
Taking in account all the plays, which was what constituted a major challenge for the group? And why?
MFR: This last piece was challenging, but more difficult for the group was Dionesco, the bald singer. The text itself was very complicated precisely because it comes from the absurd drama, the plot itself was a major challenge for the actors and the director. The cast for this production was lower, had only six members on stage and the content itself makes the task of capturing the public's attention more difficult. The tantrum of the dead was another play that marked the walnut shell. It was a black comedy that was on the scene in various parts of the country, because of its huge success in the first festival of amateur theater in Alijó promoted by the Inatel foundation.
How does an amateur theater group see the lack of support for the sector in general, taking into account that there is a great activity of public theater?
MFR: We see this as trying to cook omelets without eggs. It is a challenge. It's like with nothing you can do something. When you hear the lack of support, or subsidies we say in this respect we are lucky, because we never had much. The only aid that always had been there was from the start was from the City hall of Valongo which is already very large. The city council gives the space for rehearsals and for replacement plays. As we are a collective public association of nonprofit benefit, as a whole we work on a voluntary basis. We paid a professional director because we like to do a thorough job and we because we are amateurs do not mean we're rough. We are amateurs, because we have other professions and we dedicated our available time to the theater. But when we started we said in joke that there were two ways of doing theater: the professional and amateur. We were in a third way, which we paid to do so. The actors bear the costs of the work of a professional director. It is very complicated and difficult in that sense, but as we are an association that is well integrated in the community, i.e., all people who are involved at any level of the management, since it was founded, to work among the population, form a public and bring the theater to the people. The lack of support was an early challenge for us, just make theater happen with a empty space, with the volunteer work of all involved, from costume designers, set designers and somehow the director himself, to whom we paid only travel expenses. It is a challenge and creativity has return, as we have the affection of the public. we notice and feel it. We have a great support from the people.
The group charges the price of tickets to raise money for future plays?
MFR: Initially the town hall bought shows. For example, we made three replacements and one of them was paid. Lately, it does not so. We charge a nominal value, from 2 to 3 Euros, or what people want to give, but have access to the show anyway. What we found out is that there is a public more committed to see it if there is a price , that when it is free and that does not predispose people to see a play.
The future?
MFR: While they let us do theater will continue to work. We are a non professional group, which sees the theater as therapy, as a way to predispose people to see theater and we thought we should continue to do it this way. While there is a desire we always will be there to work.
