Mónica Garnel

A theatre having national as part of its name, at the top of a square, reflecting a country’s history. But which one? This is a voyage through the various narratives about D. Maria II National Theatre, forged through the intentions of the several regimes that intended to convey their own ideologies within the theatre’s mission. This is also the story of those who fought against it, opposed the institution and became part of it. How can one become heir of these stories, even if never having set foot inside.

Luís Mário Lopes wrote the solo A Boa Alma for Mónica Calle in 2015, based on the works of Bertolt Brecht marking the departure of Casa Conveniente from Cais do Sodré and their arrival in the new venue in zona J, Chelas. The original score is by JP Simões.

Laura doesn't know what to do with her loneliness. She gets involved in multiple games of seduction, unable to go home alone, without someone to share her affections with. She confides in her sister, Sara, they share dinners, they confide their fears. Laura feels she has to change, to escape the chaos that her life has become, especially when her children surprise her with a stranger in her bed. She then seeks out her mother, as if trying to reconcile with her.

In oPorto there is a club, Imperatriz, where everything is permitted. A moment in which all intersect in the dark night.

How would you react if you couldn't see? In rehearsing the theatrical adaptation of "Blindness", by Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, the company "O Bando" made the experience. The actors lived 24 hours blindfolded in an abandoned hospital. How would you react if you could see again?

This documentary shows a peculiar vision about theatre in general and O Bando in particular, on the bases of João Brites' directing the showcase of “ENSAIO SOBRE A CEGUEIRA” (essay on blindness), written by José Saramago.