Portuguese-Czech company Hotel Europa will revive the entire Palác Akropolis!
Site – specific version of the successful performance „Portugal is not a small country“ exclusively and especially prepared for Palác Akropolis!
Capacity limited, only 30 spaces! This performance is performed in English.
Portugal is not a small country is a performance that discusses European dictatorships and the European presence in Africa, by looking at the Portuguese case, the country that had the longest fascist dictatorship in Europe – 48 years, and the longest colonial Empire – nearly 500 years.
This analysis on the end of Portuguese colonialism is done through the real live testimonies of ex-Portuguese settlers that were part of the refugee exodus from Africa in 1974–76.
The script of the show was created through a verbatim process, meaning copied word for word, which resulted in the writing of a theatre text that faithfully uses the words of the people interviewed about their life in Africa during the Portuguese colonial period. The methodology combined the collection of testimonies of these people and a detailed historiographical research, creating a text that portrays the complexity of recent Portuguese history, particularly in the case of the end of Portuguese colonialism.
„A reflexion about the burning matter that we are made of.“ Maria João Guardão (Diário de Notícias)
With this work I want to investigate real stories that have become memories and that over time have been inherited; I'm interested in situations where real people contribute to challenge and rebuild cultural identities; I'm interested in how theatre can contribute to the rewriting of history, giving voice to a silenced group, working in that to memory transmission between generations. André Amálio
Devised and performed by André Amálio (PT)
Co-directed and choreographed by Tereza Havlíčková (CZ)
Music composed and performed by Pedro Salvador (PT)
Set design by Pedro Silva (PT)
Production of Hotel Europa
Duration: 90 min
Hotel Europa is a duo of artists, André Amálio and Tereza Havlíčková. The company was born in MA Performance Making at Goldsmiths University in London and is coming from two different countries – Portugal and Czech Republic and two disciplines – dance and theatre. Hotel Europa develops performance work exploring the boundaries between dance, performance art and theatre in a process of collaboration. In their processes they use autobiographical material, verbatim material, family stories, national stories creating a complex web of references to popular culture and classical, creating performances that allows the public to travel across cultures, ages and genders and construct their own meaning and narrative.
André Amálio is a MPhil/Phd student at the University of Roehampton. Trained at ESTC (BA Acting, Licentiate Degree Acting/Directing) and Goldsmiths College, University of London (MA Performance Making). Researching on the areas of documentary theatre and memory on the stories related to the end of the Portuguese Colonialism. Studied directing, dance and performance with Bréatrice Picon-Vallin, Kristian Lupa, Gennadi Bogdanov, Eimuntas Nekrosius, Steve Paxton, Anna Furse, Ajaykumar, Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, Mischa Twtchin, Graeme Miller and Alexander Kelly. Has worked as an actor/performer/dancer under directors like Ajaykumar, Anna Furse, Francisco Alves, Giacomo Scalisi, João Brites, Lúcia Sigalho, Luís Castro, Madalena Vitorino, Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, Patricia Carreira amongst others. Directed and performed performances such as Estamos Agora Sós, PELE, Construção Revisitada, Amálio Vs Amália, Perda, Minha Terra. In Lisbon has founded the arts space Liberdade Provisória, being resident artist and artistic director. Visiting lecturer in the Drama Department of the Portuguese University – ESAD.CR since 2011.
Tereza Havlickova began her career as a dancer. She completed BA (Hons) Dance Theatre at Laban Centre in London and after graduated at Goldsmiths University, MA in Performance Making. She is particularly interested in exploring multidisciplinary movement, text and visual forms, as well as the use of autobiographical material. She has trained under direction of artists such as Graeme Miller, Steve Paxton, Marie Gabrielle Rotie, Mischa Twitchin and worked with Geraldine Pilgrim, Firenza Guidi, Etta Ermini, Anna Furse and Ajaykumar. She works between Prague and Lisbon. Tereza is also performer and manager of Spitfire Company, which is based in Prague.
Supported by: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Largo Residências, Liberdade Provisória and Teatro do Silêncio
