Counting down to the 23rd edition of Imaginarius – International Street Theatre Festival, which will occupy the historic centre of Santa Maria da Feira between 23 and 26 May, artists from Feira finalize their creations, which will be premiered at the festival. The local community was also invited to participate in three performances by international companies, which are now beginning to create in residence in the region to integrate the main programming and the Mais Imaginarius international competition.
Of the 41 shows that make up this edition’s programme, two are born from the winning proposals from CACL – Call for Support for Local Creation. The performance “Tenho o teu nariz”, by the local artist Fábio Araújo, is a multidisciplinary artistic intervention that combines theatre, music, percussion, painting and illustration, in which there are no concrete answers, but reflection and questioning around pressing themes that affect young people. The nose is presented as a metaphor for multiple stories that explore contemporary challenges, such as democracy and freedom, demonstration and protest. The show premieres on the first day of the festival, 23 May, at 9 pm, on a traveling route between República Square and the old courthouse.
At 10pm premieres the creation “Pudesse eu não ter laços nem limites”, by two local young artists, Joana Gomes and Xavier Ramalhosa. It is an ode to freedom, inspired by the literary universe of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, and materialized in a performance that crosses theatre and video mapping and refers to such notable works as “O Rapaz de Bronze” and “A Menina do Mar”. On the faces of the two performer you will find the intimate desire of two friends not to lose what they once found, in a direct or subtle allusion to a country that yearns for freedom in the adulthood of democracy.
Musicians and dancers from the region were also invited to participate in the new performance by the Italian collective Rusty Brass Band, winner of the Mais Imaginarius international competition in 2023, now returning for a new creation in residence. “Poetic roads: beyond borders” is not just a musical show, it is an urban tour guided by music, made up of interaction with people and public space on a lively route through the streets and squares of the city’s historic centre, which promises to surprise in unusual contexts. The performance will open the programme of the festival, on 23 May, at 8:00 pm, from the Parish Church to Misericórdia Church.
Women from Santa Maria da Feira and neighbouring municipalities, from Gaia to Aveiro, participate in the creation “De femme à femmes”, by French-American Léa Dant, which premieres on 24 May, at 6:30 pm, at República Square. At a crossroads between the poetic and the political, performers of various ages carry the symbol of brotherhood, solidarity, empowerment and feminine sensitivity. A collective performance created in residence and presented in front of the City Hall, the ultimate symbol of municipal power, exercised mainly by men.
The result of a creation in residence with the participation of local volunteers, there is also the performative installation Party City Pate Maria da Feira, by the Spanish company Invalid Adress, which proposes an immersive experience, where stimuli arrive in parallel from all sides: from the heart , the senses, memories, desires and emotions. A space for experimentation, reflection and dialogue around the history, customs and traditions of Santa Maria da Feira.
Under the sign of Freedom, this edition’s programming remains faithful to major productions and classic street theatre, clown, circus and performance, but reinforces the offer in the field of media arts, experimental projects, dance, music, contemporary circus and facilities, strengthening the aspect of support for local creation and subsequent circulation at similar festivals, through solid partnerships with the Serralves Foundation, the Inatel Foundation and the Mundo ao Contrário festival of Paredes de Coura .
