Sun 09 Jun 2024, 11:00 – Puppet theatre: The romance of Benedito & Margarida – Brazil

Awarded best show at the National Theater Festival – Florianópolis, Brazil - 1997

Benedito, Margarida and the ox Estrela run away from Captain João Redondo's farm, she is pregnant, they arrive in the big city and seek establishment among the community that forms the audience, the Captain chases them and everyone who gets in the way, the snake appears big and other animals, the boy Baltazar is born between fights and celebrations, everything ending well as befits a good game of mamulengo.

Some characters from Romance do Vaqueiro are classics of popular culture and are closely related to the characters from Commedia Dell`Arte; Benedito, Margarida, João Redondo, others come from Africa like Kalunga Malungo, others are already very Brazilian; Rosinha do Bole-bole, Palhaço da Vitória and Janeiro Vem Janeiro Vai.

Some are mythological like the Jaraguá, others are symbolic animals like the large Carpina snake, the Bumba-meu-boi Estrela and the Boa Nova bird. These are basic, but others can be introduced based on improvisation and direct communication with the public. The script may also vary from game to game, but it will always deal with particular issues that become universal through identification with any audience.

Chico Simões is a playful actor, between 1980 and 1985, he traveled throughout the Northeast spending time with masters of popular culture.

He studied at ISTA - International School of Anthropological Theater - and at CENDREV - Centro Dramático de Évora - Portugal. He is the founder of the Mamulengo Presepada Group (1983).

Anna Göbel is a visual artist, writer, illustrator, teacher and performer, she carries within her the impulse of social art. With German origins, but born in Spain and raised between Germany and Argentina, she has lived in Brazil since 1995. She has participated in more than 50 individual and group exhibitions. In Brazil, she published 16 authorial books.As a social educator, also trained in Waldorf education, in addition to her teaching activity, she has been creating murals since 1997.
From this long experience, #miradasdeafeto was born during the pandemic to name the work in urban, rural, and indigenous communities, which includes collective work with the community on the mural, with an active listening to the needs to be portrayed focusing on targeting the social issues, the wishes and aspirations of the locals, and their material and immaterial heritage.

In 2023, a partnership with Mamulengo Presepada began, enriching the celebration around popular culture and incorporating words and music into this active community listening.