Marco Mendonça
Blackface
- 17.11 — 19.11 2023
- portuguese premiere
- ages +14
- 1h30 min
- In Portuguese with surtitles in Portuguese and English for the deaf and hard of hearing
Where did blackface begin? When does blackface end?
Marco Mendonça’s one-man-show is a musical lecture-performance that shifts between stand-up, satire, documentary theatre, and autobiography. Through images, videos, and comedy sketches, he takes us on a journey through the long and painful history and legacy of blackface.
Blackface – a racist theatrical practice in which performers wear makeup to portray a caricature of a black person – is used to degrade, objectify and dehumanise black people, portraying them as unintelligent, lazy, and untruthful, among other negative attributes.
Historically blackface provided comfort and comic relief for its audiences. Here, it reflects the presence of racism in Portuguese traditions, right up until the present day.
Post Show Talks
On 19 November, the performance will be followed by a on-stage talk with Marco Mendonça and Gisela Casimiro, moderated by Raquel Lima.
Credits
Created and performed by Marco Mendonça Creative advisor Bruno Huca Dramaturgy advisor Gisela Casimiro Music and sound design Mestre André
Lighting design Rui Monteiro Set Pedro Azevedo Costumes Aldina Jesus Video Heverton Harieno Production Alkantara (Sinara Suzin, Carolina Gameiro) Coproduced by Alkantara, Teatro do Bairro Alto, Teatro Viriato Coproduction residency O Espaço do Tempo Residency support Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre (Brussels) Support Co-pacabana
Thanks to Ana Cristina Mendonça, André e. Teodósio, Artistas Unidos, Bernardo Peixoto, Catarina Amaral, Cidália Espadinha, Cleo Diára, Eduardo Mendonça, Eduardo Molina, Gio Lourenço, Isabél Zuaa, Márcia Mendonça, Marcos Cardão, Maria Jorge, Nádia Yracema, Nuna, Nuno Lopes, Soraia Tavares, Raquel S., Tiago Bartolomeu Costa, Vanessa Coelho
Content Notes
Contains references to racial violence, smoke, laser and strobe lights.
Marco Mendonça was born in Mozambique in 1995 and lives in Lisbon since 2007. He graduated in theatre at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. He works regularly with the company Os Possessos. He was a trainee at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, where he worked with João Pedro Vaz, Tiago Rodrigues and Faustin Linyekula. He was part of shows by Liesbeth Gritter (Kassys), Tonan Quito and Mala Voadora. He debuted as author and co-creator, alongside João Pedro Leal and Eduardo Molina, in "Parlamento Elefante", a project that won the Amélia Rey Colaço scholarship. In...