Shows

The Balcony

Teatro Nacional São João | Portugal

Start Date: 13-09-2021 - 08:00
End Date: 15-09-2021 - 08:00

The Balcony
O Balcão
by Jean Genet

O Balcão takes place inside a luxury brothel, a confined, aseptic space under constant surveillance and shot through by the echos of an ongoing revolution. With this play, Nuno Cardoso brings to a close his “inaugural trilogy”, a set of three plays that embody the notion of a demanding, timeless, cross-border repertoire theatre. First came one of the founding texts of theatrical modernity (Georg Büchner’s Danton’s Death), followed by the revisitation of a masterwork of classic Portuguese dramaturgy (António Ferreira’s Castro). Erotic comedy, metaphysical drama, funereal farce? Baroque and indisciplined, this “Balcony” evades pigeonholing. It may well become, as is always the case in both Jean Genet and Nuno Cardoso, a stage of our imaginings.

“The Girl: (Very softly). It’s approaching, sir. It’s evening in a apple-orchard. The sky is calm and pink. The earth is bathed in a sudden peace -the moan of doves- the peace that preceded battles. The air is very still. An apple was fallen to the grass. A yellow apple. Things are holding their breath. War is declared. The evening is very mild.

[…] Now death was in action. She moved nimby from one to the other, deepening a wound, dimming an eye, tearing off an arm, opening an artery, discoloring a face, cutting short a cry, a song. Death was ready to drop. Finally, exhausted, herself dead with fatigue, she grew drowsy and rested lightly on your shoulder, where she fell asleep.”
Jean Genet, The Balcony

Language: Portuguese
Subtitles: English, Greek

The Balcony
O Balcão
by Jean Genet

Direction: Nuno Cardoso
Translation: Regina Guimarães
Dramaturgy: Nuno Cardoso, Ricardo Braun
Stage design: F. Ribeiro
Costume design: TNSJ
Video: Fernando Costa
Vocal coaching: Carlos Meireles
Movement: Elisabete Magalhães
Lighting design: Filipe Pinheiro
Sound design :João Oliveira
Stage management: Ricardo Braun
Production: Teatro Nacional São João

On stage:

THE EXECUTIONER: ARTHUR, ROGER- Afonso Santos
CARMEN- Ana Brandão
THE GENERAL, THE REBEL- António Afonso Parra
IRMA: THE QUEEN- Emília Silvestre
THE WOMAN, CHANTAL, THE THIRD PHOTOGRAPHER- Joana Carvalho
THE CHIEF OF POLICE- João Melo
THE THIEF, THE GIRL, THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHER- Margarida Carvalho
THE GIRL, THE COURT ENVOY- Maria Leite
THE JUDGE, THE REBEL- Mário Santos
THE BISHOP, THE REBEL- Rodrigo Santos
THE OLD MAN, THE BEGGAR: THE SLAVE, THE REBEL, THE SECOND PHOTOGRAPHER-
Sérgio Sá Cunha

Teatro Nacional São João

The Teatro Nacional São João annually produces four to five major shows and co-produces and hosts dozens of others. Having a resident ensemble, the TNSJ also engages teams composed of Portuguese and foreign guest artists for its projects. It emphasizes regular collaborations and promotes their interaction. The theatre bets on research and experiments around contemporary scenic languages. It wishes to convey to today’s audience great classical texts and others of contemporary dramatic heritage. Through the theory and practical work developed by the Centre of Contemporary Dramaturgies of Porto, it pays special attention to the stimulation of new dramatic Portuguese writing. Being a member of the UTE and organizing the PoNTI – Porto. Natal. Teatro. International. festival, the Teatro Nacional São João is also committed to achieving the internationalization of its theatrical productions and establishing an earnest partnership with the European theatre scene.