The theatrical production, after its premiere in the company’s hometown of Canas de Senhorim, debuts today at the Teatro Luís de Camões in Lisbon, where it will run until October 12. It will then move to Lamego (October 24-25), Alcanena (December 5-6), and Braga (December 13), as per the Amarelo Silvestre website.
“She [the character] has a journey, starting from the age of 8, that turned her into a professional window opener. She is an expert in opening windows to show others things that are right there in front of them but that they sometimes cannot see,” said Rafaela Santos.
The invisibilities, “sometimes become more visible for the worst reasons, but in reality, they have always been there, and she wants them to be seen, she wants to amplify them so they no longer go unnoticed.”
On stage is only Inês Luzio, embodying the ‘voice off’ of Amélia Santos Giestas, who in turn brings to life the writing of Fernando Giestas, in a “very analog” setting featuring the artistic creations of Rachel Caiano and musical arrangements by Inês Luzio and Leonardo Outeiro.
Without revealing the entire play, Rafaela Santos mentioned that the invisibilities “can be very concrete things like people with disabilities, elderly people, the unemployed, or cleaners and waiters, for example, situations where people become almost invisible.”
The artistic director also pointed out other individuals who “seem like no one sees them, they pass by, are there, but they are not noticed, such as security guards, ushers, those in professions that support something for others to be seen.”
“There are also people, like migrants or Roma individuals, who preferably become invisible to many because they raise uncomfortable questions,” she emphasized.
Ultimately, she summarized, “it’s a journey of discovery, of a restlessness that makes her blow, and with that breath, she opens windows because she has a very strong breath, like a superpower or a gift, which she’s had since she was young and cannot contain within herself.”
The story was inspired by a neighbor of Amarelo Silvestre in Canas de Senhorim, in the district of Viseu, who “is no longer there but told years ago that she took a trip to Rome and, on the way back, stuffed her pockets with pine nuts during one of the bus stops, and planted one on the estate” where the theater company resides.
“Today, 50-something years later, it’s a beautiful, strong pine tree, about three or four stories high, casting a tremendous shadow, isolated and very visible. The lady lived on the street and, when she opened the window, she saw the pine tree within the estate,” she recounted.
