the first sun

installation, book, performance

in collaboration with sofia dinger

the first sun (o primeiro sol) marked the initial artistic collaboration between sofia dinger and miguel bonneville, drawing inspiration from anton chekhov’s the seagull and numerous other (auto)biographical references associated with it.
departing from chekhovian characters’ tendency to indirectly address issues, the artists chose a more direct approach. their focus lay not only on the play itself but also on the characters treplev and nina, serving as possible alter egos. through them, they contemplated both the world’s condition and the state of art, as these characters seek existential meaning through artistic expression.
the essence of the first sun lay in an exclusive reading event featuring a book authored by dinger and bonneville over four years. available for reading only for a single night, the book vanished afterward, leaving behind memories for those who experienced it. a multi-sensory environment accompanied this reading, offering a space for viewers to engage freely with the material.

credits
co-creation and original texts: sofia dinger, miguel bonneville. lighting design: eduardo abdala. book design: ilhas. visual content: joana linda.
residencies: estúdios victor cordon, centro cultural do cartaxo/materiais diversos, cão solteiro . residências 120. executive production: sofia dinger, miguel bonneville, susana martinho lopes, carina lourenço/teatro do silêncio. co-production: teatro do silêncio, fitei. support: direcção geral das artes.

premiere
13th of may 2022, mala voadora, fitei – festival internacional de teatro de expressão ibérica, porto, portugal