Catarina and the beauty of killing fascists
This family kills fascists. It’s a tradition that everyone in the family has followed for over 70 years. They’ve all got together today in a house in the country near a village called Baleizão in the south of Portugal. One of youngest members of the family, Catarina, is to kill her first fascist, who has been kidnapped for this very purpose. It’s a day to celebrate, a day of beauty and death. However, Catarina finds herself unable to kill him or else she’s refusing to do so. A family fight breaks out and a lot of questions arise. What is a fascist? Is there a place for violence in the struggle for a better world? Can we violate the rules of democracy when we seek better ways to defend it?
Credits:
Text and direction: Tiago Rodrigues
With: António Afonso Parra, António Fonseca, Beatriz Maia, Carolina Passos Sousa, Isabel Abreu, João Vicente, Marco Mendonça, Romeu Costa, Rui M. Silva
Artistic collaboration: Magda Bizarro
Stage design: F. Ribeiro
Costumes: José António Tenente
Lights: Nuno Meira
Sound design and original music: Pedro Costa
Choral and vocal arrangements: João Henriques
Voice over: Cláudio Castro, Nadezhda Bocharova, Paula Mora, Pedro Moldão
Movement support: Sofia Dias, Vítor Roriz
Stage fighting and use of weapons: David Chan Cordeiro
English translation: Daniel Hahn
French translation: Thomas Resendes
Italian translation: Vincenzo Arsilio
German translation: Igor Metzeltin
Surtitles: Patrícia Pimentel
Executive production: Festival d’Avignon
Production: Teatro Nacional D. Maria II
Co-production: Wiener Festwochen, Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione, ThéâtredelaCité – CDN Toulouse Occitanie & Théâtre Garonne Scène européenne Toulouse, Festival d’Automne à Paris & Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Teatro di Roma – Teatro Nazionale, Comédie de Caen, Théâtre de Liège, Maison de la Culture d’Amiens, BIT Teatergarasjen, Le Trident – Scène-nationale de Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Teatre Lliure, Centro Cultural Vila Flor, O Espaço do Tempo
Supported by: Almeida Garrett Wines, Cano Amarelo, Culturgest, Zouri Shoes
Thanks: Mariana Gomes, Rui Pina Coelho, Margarida Bak Gordon, Rita Mendes and the team of the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II. We also thank Sara Barros Leitão and Pedro Gil who, even though they are no longer on stage with us, will always remain Catarina.
The show features music by Hania RaniBiesy and Now, Run), Joanna Brouk (The Nymph Rising, Calling the Sailor), Laurel Halo (Rome Theme III and Hyphae) and Rosalía (De Plata feat. Paul Refree)
Recommended age: 16+
Duration: 2h30 (without intermission)
Show premiered at 20th of September 2020, at Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimarães (Portugal)
Nominated in the Best international show category of the Premis de la Crítica, in Catalonia.
Winner of the Best Foreign Show Award UBU 2023 in Italy.
Winner of the Best Foreign Show Award from the Critics Association in 2023 in France.
More information:
Anne-Mathilde Di Tomaso – Festival d’Avignon
anne-mathilde.di-tomaso@festival-avignon.com
Léa Dony – Festival d’Avignon
lea.dony@festival-avignon.com
Photograph: © Joseph Banderet
