Inspired by the life and work of Luís Vaz de Camões, marking the 500th anniversary of the author’s birth, ‘Cabo das Tormentas’ is directed and written by Diana Bernedo and Miguel Martins Pessoa. The play “intertwines the history of Portugal and Europe with present challenges,” also serving as “a tribute to the forgotten, poets, and the eternal influence of Camões,” states the synopsis of the production.
Presented in Almagro last Friday, July 25, ‘Cabo das Tormentas’ returns to the stage today for the closing session, recognized as the best contemporary show of the city’s classical theater festival in the region of Castile – La Mancha.
The Portuguese company produced the play in its original Portuguese version, with Spanish subtitles, blending “texts from great writers such as Luís Vaz de Camões, Florbela Espanca, Fernando Pessoa, Jeanette Winterson, and José Saramago.”
Described as a “critical epic on the discoveries, taking a current journey through the universe of a group of beggars, where the spirit of Luís Vaz de Camões is revealed through one of their storms, intertwining moments from the history of Portugal and the world with contemporary reality,” ‘Cabo das Tormentas’ is “a look at memory, old age, and oblivion, navigating back and forth on the sea waves, where storms blend with reality, fiction, and the song of sirens,” explains Janela Aberta Teatro.
According to the Spanish press, “the play is a harmonious and impactful fusion of text with Physical Theatre, Contemporary Mime, and Dance, featuring a bold dramaturgy by Diana Bernedo and Miguel Martins, which captivated the present audience and jury, awarding the cast, artistic and technical team with a round of applause.”
Journalist Paco Alberola from Revista AlicanteMAG, former director of the Elche Medieval Theatre and Music Festival, who attended Friday’s session, remarked, “‘Cabo das Tormentas’ sweeps like a biblical storm.”
‘Cabo das Tormentas’ competed for the best contemporary dramaturgy show award with Spanish productions ‘Las bizarrías’ by Company Reverso, ‘Free Britney’ by Company Merienda Dramática, and ‘Las preciosas ridículas’ by Company Arroz, produced with Costra Producciones and Marcos Altuve.
The play features performances by Pedro Monteiro, Miguel Martins Pessoa, Teresa Manjua, Fernando Cabral, Daniela Veiga, and Catarina Ferreira.
Thirty-five plays, workshops, gastronomy tastings, craft fairs, music, dance performances, exhibitions, and craft workshops were part of this year’s edition of the Spanish classical theater festival, which began on July 3 and concludes today with the Faro company’s return to the stage.
Besides Janela Aberta Teatro, the Almagro Festival also hosted the Portuguese company Chapitô, which brought the collective creation ‘Rei Lear’ to Spanish stages, based on William Shakespeare’s classic and directed by José C. García.
