Extinction is forever

The Disasters of War

The performance recreates Francisco Goya’s series of etchings “The Disasters of War”. While interpreting the scenes of the Spanish painter, the performers portray real accounts of cases of state misery and violence. The accounts, transposed into Braille, were interpreted as musical scores, which bring a percussive impact to the work.

The work is inspired by the series of engravings of the same name by the Spaniard Francisco de Goya. In 82 images, made between 1810 and 1814, he depicted scenes of hunger, misery, and violence witnessed by him during the Peninsular War.

In Nuno Ramos’ creation, Goya’s works become tableaux-vivants, living paintings. On stage, the performers recreate the images of the Spanish painter while interpreting five accounts of cases of misery and violence in the Brazilian state. These are real-life accounts of cases of massacre and terror, which occurred in places such as the Complexo da Maré and the Jacarezinho community in Rio de Janeiro.

To all this, a sound element is added: the statements were transposed to Braille, and then recreated as musical scores. Thus, the almost unpronounceable stories told by the cast are accompanied by their transposition into Braille, projected on the walls, and also by their musical interpretation – a percussive sound, played live.

Finally, a visually impaired actor comes on stage, who helps describe texts and details of the performance and represents a collective consciousness – of our social blindness.

The shows/performances were broadcast live from Antunes Filho Theater, at Sesc Vila Mariana on July 16th, 17th and 18th, 2021.

Author: Nuno Ramos

Direction and Playwriting: Nuno Ramos, Tarina Quelho, and Vicente Antunes Ramos

Performance and Creative Collaboration: Allyson Amaral, Edgar Jacques, Eliana de Santana, Gabriela Silveira, Igor Caracas, Joy Catharina, Leandro Souza, Rayra Maciel, Renan Proença, Tenca and Vinícius Lordelos

Musical Direction: Igor Caracas and Romulo Fróes

Light Board Operation and Design: Gabriela Miranda and Matheus Brant

Costumes: Valentina Soares

Costume Assistant: Caio

Technical direction: André Boll

Stage Direction: Carolina Bucek

Directing Production: Marisa Riccitelli Sant’ana and Rachel Brumana

Executive Production: Giovanna Monteiro, Luiza Alves and Paulo Gircys

Set design: William Zarella Jr

Technical assistant and video operation: Giovanna Kelly

Sound design and audiovisual consulting: Rodrigo Gava

Release photos: Matheus José Maria and Ricardo Ferreira

Footage Direction: Pedro Nishi

Steadycam: Daniel Lupo

Legal Advisor: José Augusto Vieira de Aquino

Legal assistance: Paula Malfatti

Backstage: Arieli Marcondes

Stage management: Fernando Albuquerque and José Dahora

Catering: GL Catering

Microphones: Felipe Santana

Management and Production: Superfície de Eventos

Excerpts of accounts presented in this performance originally featured in “À queima roupa”, film by Theresa Jessouroun; “Um lugar ao sol”, film by Gabriel Mascaro and in the news magazines Folha de São Paulo and O Globo.

Allyson Amaral – Dance artist, dance performer, performer and actor. He participated as artist-creator in the shows “Pretoperitamar – O Caminho vai dar aqui” (Pretoperitamar – The Way leads here), 2019, by Anelis Assumpção and Grace Passô; “Lobo” (Wolf), 2018, by Carolina Bianchi; “Filon – O teatro do Mundo” (Filon – The theatre of the World), 2016, directed by Kenia Dias and Ricardo Garcia; and in other projects with Key Sawao and Ricardo Iazzetta, Cristian Duarte, Grupo Espanca! and the Lia Rodrigues Dance Company.

Edgar Jacques – Actor graduated from Teatro Escola Macunaíma. He wrote the plays “Um Homem Comum” (An Ordinary Man) – which will be turned into a book in 2019 – and the monologue “Colibri o ator Cego” (Hummingbird the Blind Actor). He is also part of the cast of Teatro Cego, a project that presents stagings in total darkness. Besides having participated in the bilingual shows “O Rouxinol e a Rosa” and “De Que Cor É a Chuva”. Edgar also wrote and directed the sound dance performance “Só Se Fechar os Olhos” (Only If You Close Your Eyes).

Eliana de Santana – Stage artist, performer and choreographer, she began her career in theater in 1984. In 1996, in partnership with Wellington Duarte, she premiered “Tragédia Brasileira” (Brazilian Tragedy), her first original dance piece, inspired by a homonymous text by Manuel Bandeira. She continues to create projects that have at the core of their research themes such as the anonymous individual and are inspired by themes from Brazilian literature and the visual arts.

Gabriela Silveira – Singer, percussionist and composer, from Minas Gerais, raised in Florianópolis and living in São Paulo. Graduated in singing and percussion at the Conservatório de Tatuí in 2013. Since then she has been building a musical trajectory marked by restlessness and plurality. She has performed in groups of samba, MPB and choro, sang and played in theater performances, among many other artistic endeavors.

Igor Caracas – He expresses his musicality in many ways as a composer, percussionist, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, educator and music producer. An active musician in the Brazilian music scene, he released Cada Passo, his first solo album, with his own original songs in 2019. He has a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of São Paulo (USP) where he develops the project Percussão, Descoberta e Criação (Percussion, Discovery and Creation).

Joy Catharina – Actress, singer, art educator, and theatrical director. Graduated from the Escola Livre de Teatro de Santo André. She is co-founder of Coletivo Okan and has been working as a research actress since 2016 with the company. She has several theatrical performances throughout her career, highlighting “Impasse ou isso não é uma peça é um Golpe” directed by Cris Rocha, ”ContraFluxo” directed by Patrícia Gifford, and “Riscos e Rabiscos” directed by Dagoberto Feliz.

Leandro Souza – Dance artist. He holds a Master’s degree in Performing Arts and a degree in Dance from Campinas State University. Leandro performed in Núcleo Entretanto, directed by Wellington Duarte, and the E² Theatre and Dance Company, directed by Eliana de Santana. He is currently working on his own projects, which include the solo “Sismos e Volts” (Earthquakes and Volts) – a 2018 APCA award-winner, and the choreographic piece “Eles Fazem Dança Contemporânea” (They Make Contemporary Dance).

Rayra Maciel – Percussionist and Art Educator graduated from the Fundação das Artes de São Caetano do Sul and Ação Educacional Claretiano. Percussionist of the singer Mc tha, Manatiana band. Participated in the soundtrack of plays such as “Dois a duas” directed by Erica Montanheiro and Mariah Guedes and “Patética” by Cia Estável de Teatro.

Renan Proença – Musician, percussionist, began his studies in 2009 at the Conservatório de Tatuí and then, continuing his studies, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of São Paulo. During this period he played in several orchestras with various names of the Brazilian music scene as Lenine, Zeca Baleiro and Gilberto Gil. He is currently studying for a master’s degree in performance at Stony Brook University in New York.

Tenca Silva – He has been working in multimedia productions and the performing arts as a director, actor and performer since 2011. He holds a degree in drama from the University of São Paulo Drama School (CAC/EAD – Escola de Artes Dramáticas) and performs in feature films and series.

Vinícius Lordelos – He started his musical studies informally in 1997. He studied at the Vera Figueiredo Drums Institute in 2006 and at the Tatuí Conservatory in 2007. He has more than 15 years of experience in the teaching business and has worked as a free-lancer musician playing with important names of the music scene in cities such as Londrina, Asunción, and São Paulo capital city.