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AGRESTE (DRYLANDS)<< back to all plays | Pictures | Artists
8 - 26 May 2007 Lyric Hammersmith, London Click here to go to Lyric Theatre's AGRESTE page Dende Collective bring the work of the acclaimed Brazilian playwright, Newton Moreno to the UK with the English premiere of the hit play Agreste (Drylands). Blending physical performance, masks, poetry and live music, Dende create an intimate tale of mystery, prejudice and enduring love. Photo: Ming Wong
The story of AgresteFrom the dusty drylands of the northeastern Brazilian outback, far away from the exoctic beaches of Copacabana, two people fall wildly in love... The Brazilian Agreste region refers to a large area of Brazil that doesn’t get a lot of publicity abroad. It refers to the semi-arid region in the northeast and comprises 7 Brazilian states. Temperatures remain extremely hot throughout the year. Rainfall is extremely erratic, leading to catastrophic drought causing extreme famines exacerbated by the extreme imbalance of land ownership. Its distinctive vegetation consists of low thorny bushes. There is a tradition of setting plays in this region, Agreste follows a path that has been signalled before by other great Brazilian playwrights. We could say that this part of Brazil has not been affected by History and Modernity, hostile conditions to survival have eaten up the vital force of the local population. It is the ideal setting to deal with universal human conflicts. In a place like this passions can surface due to the immobility of a social structure that is ruled by archaic notions of honour. It is possible to draw the destruction of man by extreme conflict where one lives deprived of all that is essential to survive. Poverty and Ignorance can bring out the worst of human beings. Intolerance can reign. The authorNewton Moreno is certainly one of the most promising playwrights that have emerged from Brazil in recent years. Born in Recife, Moreno is a Performing Arts graduate of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) and holds a Master's degree from Universidade de São Paulo. In 2001 he staged his first play Deus sabia de tudo e não fez nada (God knew about it and didn't lift a finger). Since then he has written numerous plays, including Agreste, which won several awards in 2004, among which were the Shell and APCA prize for best playwright. In 2005, the Royal Court Theatre brought Moreno to London to work on its International Playwriting Residency project, choosing him to represent Brazil amongst rising stars in this field from all over the globe. He is currently in the faculty of ELT (Escola Livre de Teatro de Santo André, a theatre college), in charge of playwriting. The Repast, Jacinta, The Célio Cruz Show and Ivan IV & Elizabeth I were his new plays performed in 2006 and 2007. Moreno has also been a very active advocate of gay rights in Brazil.
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