Eduarda Nogueira, a Portuguese actress who has lived in Scotland for ten years, is set to debut “The Three Marias: Women of Word” at the Festival Fringe, one of the most significant international performing arts festivals. Nogueira, leading the newly established theatre company Voices Collective Company, expressed her admiration for the figures she is set to portray. “I wanted to represent these women. As a proud Portuguese, it greatly honored me. I decided it would be a good story to tell and celebrate,” she mentioned in an interview.
The production, “The Three Marias: Women of Word,” combines documentary theatre, poetry, and contemporary performance. It explores the friendship between writers Maria Teresa Horta, Maria Isabel Barreno, and Maria Velho da Costa, as well as their landmark 1972 book, “Novas Cartas Portuguesas.”
Directed by Wendy McEwan, the play features performances by Eduarda Nogueira, Maria Barros, and Isabella Dellazari Velarde. Nogueira reflects on the significance of “Novas Cartas Portuguesas,” describing it as “an ultra-feminist book, combative against the dictatorial regime and societal norms in Portuguese society, yet still relevant in the issues it raises half a century later.”
“Today, more than ever, themes of gender, equality, and the role of women in society are pertinent… Of course, the book was written 50 years ago, but I think the questions we ask today are still the same: What is the role of women in society? What does it mean to be a woman? The book doesn’t offer a precise answer. Times are changing, but the question remains,” she articulated.
Speaking on the premiere at the Fringe, Nogueira remarked on the realization of a personal ambition: “I’ve always wanted to perform at the Fringe. Representing a part of Portuguese culture with this extraordinary story, which I believe unites people, is a dream,” she commented.
“The Three Marias: Women of Word” also marks the first production by the Voices Collective Company, described as “an independent, multicultural company based in the UK, dedicated to showcasing female voices and stories that cross linguistic, cultural, and political boundaries.”
Eduarda Nogueira, 40, originally from Vila Nova de Gaia, moved to Scotland a decade ago, initially working in hospitality. Reflecting on her journey, she noted, “Before coming to Scotland, I was involved in amateur theatre. I always did something, but not as a profession. Relocating was not initially with that intention. However, the opportunity to study theatre arose, I applied and was accepted, and from there I think I started to grow more and believe it was possible.”
For the play “The Three Marias: Women of Word,” Nogueira conducted thorough research into the lives of the three writers and consulted existing productions but ultimately chose to craft the dramaturgy herself. “When I learned more [about the book and the authors’ lives], I wondered why it isn’t more known or studied in schools. That fueled my desire to tell their story and honor the writers,” she emphasized.
The performance at the Festival Fringe, scheduled from August 1 to 25, marks its debut, with plans for subsequent tours.
Maria Teresa Horta, Maria Isabel Barreno, and Maria Velho da Costa, famously known as “the three Marias,” began writing “Novas Cartas Portuguesas” in May 1971, drawing inspiration from 17th-century love letters written by Mariana Alcoforado to a French officer.
Challenging the dictatorship and prevailing social conventions of the era, the work advanced feminism. It benefited from the support of writer Natália Correia, the sole publisher willing to risk publishing it, and Simone de Beauvoir, who facilitated its international exposure.
