It is with a robust programme of 41 shows, in a total of 144 presentations over 4 days, that Imaginarius – International Street Theatre Festival returns to the streets, squares and cultural facilities of the historic centre of Santa Maria da Feira, from 23 to 27 May. 190 artists from 12 countries will perform across the venue’s 15 stages to celebrate freedom in its multiple dimensions. A bold and provocative edition, which brings current and pressing themes such as totalitarian regimes, migration, colonialism and gender equality into the public space.
Faithful to large formats and classic street theatre, clowning, circus and performance, the festival reinforces its programme offering in the field of media arts, experimental projects, dance, music, contemporary circus and installations, also focusing on programming for families, reinforced on Sunday morning, with ten shows between 10 am and 1 pm.
Of the extensive programme for the four days, what stands out, due to its content and size, is the Waterlitz mega-production that the French company Générik Vapeur presents on 24 and 25 May, at 11pm, after several days of installations in the fire department park, where a structure of great logistical, technical and artistic complexity rises. Eight overlapping containers will form an imposing human figure 19 meters high, which will also be the stage where music, pyrotechnics, aerial ballet and projection of images that touch on the deprivation of freedom, so often caged in containers where human beings risk a crossing.
From the United Kingdom, the Gorilla Circus collective arrives with RPM, a dance and body expression performance that takes place on a six-meter treadmill, where dancers on roller skates question the colonial legacy in today’s society and suggest endless links between modern conflicts and the British colonialist past. A spectacle to see on 24 and 25 May, at 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm, on the staircase of the Parish Church.
In a process of creation in residence with women from the region, which takes place at the ICC – Imaginarius Creation Centre, the French-American Léa Dant builds the performance De femme à femmes, starting from the sharing of what is most intimate in each one, at a crossroads between the poetic and the political, with a focus on brotherhood, solidarity, empowerment and feminine sensitivity. A spectacle to see on 24h and 25 May, at 6:30 pm, at República Square, facing the City Hall.
Acrobatics as a powerful means of emancipation and unity between peoples is the maxim of the energetic and unstoppable The Black Blues Brothers, originally from Kenya, a country where they faced great challenges. Based in Italy, the company has already surprised Pope Francis, but also Charles III of England with its contagious energy, based on a vibrant multi-ethnic experience.
Peaceful Places is the virtual reality proposal by the Italian collective Landilanza for 24 and 25 May, in the cloister of the Loios Convent Museum, where the participating public enters a parallel world, using virtual reality glasses that offer memorable experiences centred on the power of hugs .
In addition to the main programme, the festival presents three Imaginarius Creations in their world premiere and 19 shows starring emerging artists who are part of the Mais Imaginarius international competition. The Imaginarius PRO programme for professionals and the creative gastronomy Sabores Imaginarius and Street Food Imaginarius complement the festival’s sections, along with the programmes Imaginarius Acessível (accessibility) and Imaginarius Participa (volunteering), which boast a decade-long path devoted to expanding access, as well as training and empowering teams.
This will also be a “waterproof” edition, which will not be cancelled even if it rains rain, as there are guaranteed shows indoors, at the António Lamoso Cine-Theatre, the Municipal Library and a circus tent next to Orfeão da Feira.
