FITEI
1 JUN — 17 JUN 2017
FITEI is celebrating its 40th anniversary and is back from 1-17 June with an edition whose central themes are memory and community. Around 20 shows and activities by creative minds from Portugal, Spain, Argentina and Chile will travel directly onto the stages and streets of Porto, Matosinhos, Vila Nova de Gaia and Viana do Castelo.
Featured amongst these shows is Campo Minado (Minefield), in which the Argentinean director Lola Arias works with veterans of the Falklands War for a show that blurs the boundaries of reality and fiction. Joana Craveiro, from the Teatro do Vestido, brings us Filhos do Retorno (Children of the Returnees), an immersion into the memory and difficult history of Portuguese colonialism (and the stories and memories stemming from the post-1974 process of decolonisation). These two plays reflect and dialogue with the recent histories of their countries, examining them with a critical eye underscored by a creative flair. Looking at our own past is also what we shall be doing with the launch of the book FITEI: Porto Aberto (FITEI: Open Porto) by Jorge Louraço, written using the four decades of material stored in the festival’s archive.
Our aim is also to establish close links between the local artistic community and the creators included in the programme, thereby encouraging an exchange of experiences between peers. Isto não é uma escola FITEI (This is not a FITEI school) will include various workshops with artists such as Lola Arias and Joana Craveiro, amongst others. Three workshops will also be held with three renowned critics and researchers (Óscar Cornago, Diana Damian-Martin and Sergio Lo Gatto) who will explore the intricate relationships between theatre and politics in a lab-style context with students, artists and programmers/curators. The full programme will be announced on 9 May. Until then, we will continue to believe that life begins at 40.
— Gonçalo Amorim and the FITEI team
Featured amongst these shows is Campo Minado (Minefield), in which the Argentinean director Lola Arias works with veterans of the Falklands War for a show that blurs the boundaries of reality and fiction. Joana Craveiro, from the Teatro do Vestido, brings us Filhos do Retorno (Children of the Returnees), an immersion into the memory and difficult history of Portuguese colonialism (and the stories and memories stemming from the post-1974 process of decolonisation). These two plays reflect and dialogue with the recent histories of their countries, examining them with a critical eye underscored by a creative flair. Looking at our own past is also what we shall be doing with the launch of the book FITEI: Porto Aberto (FITEI: Open Porto) by Jorge Louraço, written using the four decades of material stored in the festival’s archive.
Our aim is also to establish close links between the local artistic community and the creators included in the programme, thereby encouraging an exchange of experiences between peers. Isto não é uma escola FITEI (This is not a FITEI school) will include various workshops with artists such as Lola Arias and Joana Craveiro, amongst others. Three workshops will also be held with three renowned critics and researchers (Óscar Cornago, Diana Damian-Martin and Sergio Lo Gatto) who will explore the intricate relationships between theatre and politics in a lab-style context with students, artists and programmers/curators. The full programme will be announced on 9 May. Until then, we will continue to believe that life begins at 40.
— Gonçalo Amorim and the FITEI team
