mala voadora ‧ 2022
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Ideas about what is right or wrong in the way people organize themselves and interrelate vary greatly between cultures, and the possibility of a communion of values (political, social, spiritual) grows more difficult the more we strive to reach “universality”. The choice of a group of people to define human rights poses a problem of representativity and, when it comes to the representativity of minorities, the limits of representative democracy itself become all the more evident. Apart from that, the limits of what is considered “human” raise doubts, as the rights of other entities directly involved in human action must be considered. Mala voadora proposes a return to the 1940s – to the end of the Second World War – to recreate the discussions that, within the United Nations, spawned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In an assembly meeting, these discussions are recreated as described in the respective minutes and verbatim.
Ideas about what is right or wrong in the way people organize themselves and interrelate vary greatly between cultures, and the possibility of a communion of values (political, social, spiritual) grows more difficult the more we strive to reach “universality”. The choice of a group of people to define human rights poses a problem of representativity and, when it comes to the representativity of minorities, the limits of representative democracy itself become all the more evident. Apart from that, the limits of what is considered “human” raise doubts, as the rights of other entities directly involved in human action must be considered. Mala voadora proposes a return to the 1940s – to the end of the Second World War – to recreate the discussions that, within the United Nations, spawned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In an assembly meeting, these discussions are recreated as described in the respective minutes and verbatim.
directed by with the assistance of ‧ dramaturgical support Statt Miller ‧ featuring Céline Camara, David Pereira Bastos, Jani Zhao, Jerome Varanfrain, Jorge Andrade, Magaly Teixeira, Manuel Moreira, Maria Ana Filipe, Mariana Magalhães, Pedro Moldão, Rita Reis, and, in the Portuguese version, Ana Isabel Arinto, Bruno Soares Nogueira, Carla Gomes, Carolina Cunha e Costa, Carolina Ferraz, Francisco Goulão, Marco Augusto, Maria Toscano, Sara Belo, Statt Miller and Tomás Barroso ‧ soundtrack and musical direction Batida | Pedro Coquenão ‧ stage design José Capela, image editing by António MV ‧ costume design José Capela ‧ light design João Fonte, with consultancy by Wilma Moutinho ‧ stage photography Pedro Jafuno ‧ technical direction João Fonte ‧ technical support Luís Rabaçal ‧ sound design Diogo Cocharro ‧ project management Eva Nunes ‧ executive producer Joana Horta ‧ production and communication assistant Sofia Freitas ‧ co-production Culturgest and Théâtre à Esch - Luxembourg ‧ supports Comuna Teatro de Pesquisa, Escola do Largo, GrooveOn, _teatromosca_, Vamusica ‧
June 7 and 8, 2022 ‧ Escher Theater (Esch, Luxembourg)
September 28 to 30, 2022 ‧ Culturgest (Lisbon)