The project ‘Sexual Theatre – Feminist Readings of Classics’ forms part of Braga 25, Portugal’s designated Capital of Culture.
“This project intertwines casts, playwrights, and directors from four countries, marking a feminist reinterpretation of classic literature from each nation, with a keen focus on issues such as gender violence,” stated Maria Inês Marques, coordinator of Sexual Theatre.
In 2024, international pairs of directors and playwrights will collaborate with local casts and women’s rights organizations to create four original productions, premiering in Braga.
Throughout 2025, these productions will travel as a touring festival across partner countries.
“The casts will be from the host country, but there will always be an exchange involving playwrights and directors from the other countries, promoting cross-cultural collaboration,” added Maria Inês Marques.
On the 6th of the month, ‘Sai e Luta?’ will debut at Theatro Circo in Braga. Inspired by ‘Novas Cartas Portuguesas’ by Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Velho da Costa, and Maria Teresa Horta, the play explores the story of a woman who endures multiple humiliations from both abusers and those who are supposed to protect her.
On the 7th, at the Braga Youth Center, the performance ‘As Vivas’ is scheduled. Based on a story by Bosnian writer Ivo Andric, recipient of the 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature, the piece delves into the horrors faced by Muslim women imprisoned by Serbian armed forces in “rape houses” during the 1990s.
The 8th will feature ‘A Terra que nos Negam’ at Theatro Circo, inspired by a Montenegrin legend. It captures an artistic rebellion led by five women seeking freedom in a patriarchal society.
Finally, on the 9th, the focus shifts to ‘A Religiosa’ by French author Denis Diderot, exploring a woman’s battle against institutional oppression, reimagined in the piece ‘Linda Voz’.
‘Sexual Theatre – Feminist Readings of Classics’ is a cooperative venture involving the municipal company Braga Faz Cultura, the Bosnian National Theatre of Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Theatre City Festival of Budva (Montenegro), and Paul-Valéry University, Montpellier (France).
