The importance of being Agustina Bessa-Luís
The importance of being Agustina Bessa-Luís
a performance by M̶i̶g̶u̶e̶l̶ Bonneville
The choice of going from one author (de Beauvoir) to another (Bessa-Luís) as a source of inspiration for my work is nothing but innocent or random. It is due to the fact that both authors wrote about the feminine condition in the context of a severely patriarchal society, and also for their timeless stories in which they addressed, in very different ways, the pragmatic search for who we are.
For this performance, therefore, I took a quest for the deep roots of what it means to be Portuguese, through Bessa-Luís’ oeuvre, as a starting point; and I explored it through the depiction she made of characters in permanent conflict with the society they live in.
Direction, performance, text and set design - Miguel Bonneville
Co-authorship, performance, text and set design - Diogo Bento e Tiago Vieira
Voiceover - Paula Sá Nogueira
Dramaturgical Support - Lourença Baldaque, Isabela Figueiredo, Maria Paula Meneses e João Manuel Oliveira
Original Score - Yaw Tembe
Sound Design - BlackBambi
Lighting Design - Nuno Patinho
Costume Design - Mariana Sá Nogueira
Drawings - Bárbara Assis Pacheco
Photography and Video - Joana Linda
Executive Production - Cristina Correia
Co-production - Festival Temps d’Images
Hosting Venue – Teatro da Garagem
Artistic Residencies - Alkantara, Latoaria, Rua das Gaivotas 6 e Teatro do Vestido
Informal Performance Venue - Centro Cultural do Cartaxo
Support – Círculo Literário Agustina Bessa-Luís
This performance was funded by Governo de Portugal/Secretaria de Estado da Cultura.