Funarte opens cycle of dramatic readings
The proposal for a reading series came from the new president of Funarte, Guti Fraga, with the support of the director of the institution's Center for Performing Arts, Antonio Gilberto. "The series is something new, and with it we intend to make the award-winning texts from the National Playwriting Competition promoted by Funarte from 2003 to 2005 more widely known," explained Gilberto.
Paulo Virgilio
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Rio de Janeiro - The piece Pierrot, by Paschoal Carlos Magno, opens today (17) the Dramatic Readings Cycle, promoted in the Sidney Miller Room, in downtown Rio, by the National Arts Foundation (Funarte). With the exception of the debut work, written in 1929, the cycle will have in its program until December texts by contemporary authors awarded by the body, linked to the Ministry of Culture. The readings will always be on Tuesdays, at 18:30 pm, with free admission.
The proposal for a reading series came from the new president of Funarte, Guti Fraga, with the support of the director of the institution's Center for Performing Arts, Antonio Gilberto. "The series is something new, and with it we intend to make the award-winning texts from the National Playwriting Competition promoted by Funarte from 2003 to 2005 more widely known," explained Gilberto. According to him, the intention is to eventually extend the series to other capital cities where the organization has offices: Brasília, São Paulo, and Belo Horizonte.
The competition, which has not been held again, awarded prizes to texts from the five geographical regions of the country, in the categories of adult theater and theater for children and youth. Currently, according to Gilberto, Funarte only has the Luso-Brazilian Dramaturgy Prize, promoted in conjunction with the Camões Institute of Portugal, which recognizes Brazilian and Portuguese texts.
“The cycle is also a way to invite young theater students to join the casts, under the direction of renowned names,” said Gilberto. Award-winning directors Luiz Fernando Lobo, Gilberto Gawronski, and Lauro Góes are some of the names who will direct the dramatizations of the selected texts.
In reading PierrotHowever, the direction will be handled by the director of the Center for Performing Arts himself, with the performances by Funarte employees and collaborators. The choice of the play is a tribute from the foundation to the author. “Paschoal Carlos Magno [1906-1980] was a great promoter of young people in the performing arts, through numerous activities he undertook, including the Student Theater Festival, which revealed talents such as Sérgio Cardoso and Sérgio Britto,” recalled the director.
Two of Paschoal's legacies to the federal government are currently managed by Funarte: the Casa de Santa Teresa, used to host theater groups from the interior, as well as housing the Teatro Duse, a small room dedicated to puppet theater, and the Aldeia de Arcozelo, in the municipality of Paty do Alferes, in the south-central region of Rio de Janeiro state. "Paschoal donated the house so that it could become a university of the arts, offering courses, seminars, and other activities," informed Antonio Gilberto. According to him, since last year the agency has been in negotiations with the state government and the municipality of Paty do Alferes for the renovation of the site.
The next play in the Dramatic Readings Cycle, on the 24th, is... The Holy Scarecrow, by Carlos Alberto Bittencourt. The text was awarded in 2003 in the adult theater/Northern Region category. The Funarte Sidney Miller Hall is located on the ground floor of the Gustavo Capanema Palace, in downtown Rio.