The actor and director, who took over as artistic director of D. Maria in 2021, described the document as being “discussed for some time” and aimed at “preventing any discrimination that may have a xenophobic, racist, misogynistic nature or be offensive to any group.”
The intention is to “signal that at the National Theatre, we are not willing to tolerate verbal offenses or other insults or attitudes that may be offensive (…), disruptive, and may endanger the continuity of the performance and the integrity of the performers, and obviously their artistic freedom,” he emphasized.
This protocol is designed to address “situations of social preservation or protests in the context of theatre performances,” he stated, adding that in some TNDM performances, “critical aspects have arisen, not only in the protection of the audience but also, especially, of the artists themselves.”
According to Pedro Penim, TNDM has seen some “interruptions at book launch readings and certain episodes with more extreme reactions,” particularly in “performances for schools” where “there is a more ideological and polarized content that has sometimes disrupted the proper functioning of the performance and its continuity.”
Therefore, among the measures considered in the protocol is the creation of security zones for artists, but also, whenever possible, the conduct of pre-performance discussions “that may appease what might be a more spontaneous reaction.”
Expressing concern and outrage over the assault on Tuesday on actor Adérito Lopes, from A Barraca, by a member of a group of about 30 neo-Nazi protesters, Pedro Penim also lamented that “in our Assembly [of the Republic], there is some political representation that endorses some of these behaviors.”
Thus, the incident near Cinearte proves that cultural agents are, “in some cases, in unprotected situations.”
For Pedro Penim, the security document will be “a defensive but also deterrent protocol” that can “create within artistic and technical teams some sense of security to ensure the performance proceeds as conceived and planned.”
On Tuesday, Portugal Day, an actor from the theatre company A Barraca, Adérito Lopes, was assaulted by a far-right group in Lisbon as he was entering the free-entry performance “Love is a fire that burns unseen,” a tribute to Camões.
In statements to the Lusa agency, the director of the company, actress and director Maria do Céu Guerra, recounted that the assault took place around 8:00 PM, as the actors were arriving at Cinearte, in Largo de Santos, and encountered “a group of neo-Nazis with signs, programs,” sporting various xenophobic slogans, which initially provoked one of the actresses.
“Meanwhile, the other actors were arriving. Two were provoked, and a third was violently assaulted, suffering an eye injury and a large cut on his face,” reported Maria do Céu Guerra.
Today, the Minister of Internal Administration expressed “absolute repudiation” for the attack on the theatre company, calling it “an unacceptable act,” and reinforced the Government’s commitment to security, delegating the punishment for this crime to the courts.
In a statement upon leaving the Jerónimos Monastery, where the ceremony for the 40th anniversary of Portugal’s accession to the European Communities was held, Maria Lúcia Amaral highlighted three points on this aggression by a far-right group.
“Firstly, what happened yesterday [Tuesday], its connotations, its grounds, its nature, is absolutely unacceptable in a country like Portugal. First point, something that can only be met with absolute repudiation,” she said.
Secondly, the minister stated that the Government’s commitment “is to prevent, avoid, and do everything possible to ensure such acts, if they cannot be prevented, are duly sanctioned, through community policing that ensures the safety and integrity of people and property.”
“Third and final point, when crimes are committed, such as what happened in a country like Portugal—a state of law—it is the role of Justice, the Courts, in accordance with the law, to duly pursue and duly punish the criminals,” she declared.
On Wednesday, the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to the Lusa agency the opening of an inquiry to investigate the assault on actor Adérito Lopes from the theatre company A Barraca on Tuesday.
