Marco Mendonça
Blackface
Every year, we produce a new performance, by an emerging artist, that will have its premiere by the end of the year, during Alkantara Festival. The next year, we keep producing that show on tour, so it can reach more audiences and places. Blackface, by Marco Mendonça, had its premiere in Alkantara Festival 2023.
In the second semester of 2024, you will be able to watch it again. Venues and dates will be disclosed soon.
Marco Mendonça’s one-man-show is a musical lecture-performance that shifts between stand-up, satire, documentary theatre, and autobiography. Through images, videos, and comedy sketches, he takes us on a journey through the long and painful history and legacy of blackface.
Blackface – a racist theatrical practice in which performers wear makeup to portray a caricature of a black person – is used to degrade, objectify and dehumanise black people, portraying them as unintelligent, lazy, and untruthful, among other negative attributes.
Historically blackface provided comfort and comic relief for its audiences. Here, it reflects the presence of racism in Portuguese traditions, right up until the present day.
Credits
Created and performed by Marco Mendonça Creative advisor Bruno Huca Dramaturgy advisor Gisela Casimiro Music and sound design Mestre André Vídeo Heverton Harieno Lighting design Rui Monteiro Set Pedro Azevedo Costumes Aldina Jesus Translation (English) Joseph Owen Surtitles (Portuguese) Patrícia Pimentel Technical director Manuel Abrantes Production Alkantara - Sinara Suzin and Carolina Gameiro Coproduced by Alkantara, Teatro do Bairro Alto and Teatro Viriato Coproduction residency O Espaço do Tempo Residency support Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre Thanks to Ana Cristina Mendonça, André e. Teodósio, Artistas Unidos, Bernardo Peixoto, Catarina Amaral, Cidália Espadinha, Cleo Diára, Eduardo Mendonça, Eduardo Molina, Gio Lourenço, Isabél Zuaa, Márcia Mendonça, Marcos Cardão, Maria Jorge, Nádia Yracema, Nuna, Nuno Lopes, Soraia Tavares, Raquel S., Tiago Bartolomeu Costa e Vanessa Coelho
Marco Mendonça was born in Mozambique in 1995 and lives in Lisbon since 2007. He graduated in theatre at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. He works regularly with the company Os Possessos. He was a trainee at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, where he worked with João Pedro Vaz, Tiago Rodrigues and Faustin Linyekula. He was part of shows by Liesbeth Gritter (Kassys), Tonan Quito and Mala Voadora. He debuted as author and co-creator, alongside João Pedro Leal and Eduardo Molina, in "Parlamento Elefante", a project that won the Amélia Rey Colaço scholarship. In...