The first moments when Humanity was able to capture life and reproduce it in movement must have been extremely exciting. It’s not easy to imagine the emotion of watching, for the first time ever, the film recording of a past event or, to an individual, to observe oneself from the outside. With the invention of the recording of images on film, we have been able to recover the past for the present and for the future. The gift of eternity was invented.
This current epoch, in which our existence has been suspended in something as immaterial as an invisible gas, is equally exciting. We can now be anywhere and in many places simultaneously. The gift of ubiquity was invented.
And it’s extraordinary this time of our Humanity in which we carry a brain in the pocket that answers any question about any subject that invades our spirit. Omniscience is already invented.
We continue, however, without the answer we need to the fundamental question.
In this play we coincide in a place-moment of space-time with three people who constitute an open system. Based on their doubts and certainties, we reflect on existence, privacy, empathy, need, value, in an instant in the world where communication between human beings has become overwhelming.
One of the defining characteristics of a system is its limits. In this play, we walk on a set of delicate threads on the edge of what being human is.
Discussion and Ideas Carolina Santos, Filipe Eusébio, Francisca Moreira, Laetitia Morais, Marcelo dos Reis, Mário Montenegro, Pedro Andrade, Sílvia Santos
Playwright and Direction Mário Montenegro
Cast Carolina Santos (Júlia), Filipe Eusébio (Aristo), Mário Montenegro (Mark), Sílvia Santos (Paula)
Set Design, Wardrobe Pedro Andrade
Lighting Design and Technical Direction Rui Simão
Video Laetitia Morais
Original Soundtrack and Sound Design Marcelo dos Reis
Image Pedro Andrade and João Sarnadas
Video registry João Cunha
Executive Production and Stage Photography Francisca Moreira
Scientific Consultant Carlos Fiolhais
Hair Design Carlos Gago – Ilídio Design
Projected movies
Excerpts from
Man With the Movie Camera, Dziga Vertov
The Immigrant, Charles Chaplin
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Robert Wiene
Co-production Marionet | Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente
Partnership CNC – Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular da Universidade de Coimbra
With the support of
República Portuguesa – Cultura / Direcção-Geral das Artes
Câmara Municipal de Coimbra
Bonifrates
Convento São Francisco
Rómulo – Centro de Ciência Viva da Universidade de Coimbra
Fundação Bissaya Barreto
Ilídio Design Cabeleireiros
MAFIA – Federação Cultural de Coimbra
Acknowledgment
Ana Luísa Cardoso, Ana Morais, Carlos Fiolhais, Edmundo Balsemão Pires, João Silva, José Vilhena, Paulo Marques
- Productions
- The Empathic Limbo (restage)
- Systematic Conversation
