In addition to dystopia, director Rodrigo Portela sees in the novel “Ensaio sobre a Cegueira” by writer Jose Saramago, a call to review the agreements of civility and coexistence.
When adapting the book for the stage, in “(Um) Ensaio sobre a Cegueira,” by Grupo Galpão, Portela’s choice was to showcase the human capacity for compassion and responsibility toward others, even in a scenario of violent struggle for survival.
In the show, this is evident, for example, in the delicacy with which the nine actors in the cast guide spectators invited to act as extras – there are 14 people in each session, by ticket to the experience.
Blindfolded on stage, they receive instructions, and sometimes hugs, guidance, and comfort in the face of a mysterious epidemic that prevents the townsfolk from seeing and confines them to an asylum.
In epic theater style, artists from the Minas Gerais Ensemble tell the story, setting up and breaking down the scene, manipulating the light, playing the soundtrack live and guiding extras through the immersive and moving experience.
It is like a rehearsal between the actors who are formulating the tale proposed by Saramago.
Having 14 different people at each show means the presentations change daily.
“It gives a very performative element to the performance. Every day is different,” says actor Eduardo Moreira, the interpreter of the doctor who lost his sight.
On the day the reporter saw the play, for example, a young woman showed horror at her facial and body expressions—and was comforted by one of the actresses. There was an old man wandering lost on set, and the cast helped him.
“We have to be very attentive, it’s crazy. But it’s really good crazy. We’ve learned a lot,” says Ines Peixoto, the wife of the first blind man.
“The theatrical performance suggests that the theatrical action is evoked at all times,” says Moreira. “It is the viewer’s imagination that brings this story together. Nothing is clearly revealed.”
One example of this is the rape scene, which is not explicit in the show and thus leads to the most emotional moment in the play: the representation of the reaction and the union of the women is tear-jerking.
The season in São Paulo continues until December 14, at Sesc 24 de Maio. The play was first performed in Belo Horizonte, and has already been performed in Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Santo André and Uberlandia.
Moral blindness, white blindness, makes it impossible for people to see others and encourages selfishness, every man for himself.
The modernization of Saramago’s tale appears, for example, in the repeated messages to the audience to turn off their mobile phones during the performance and keep their attention on what is happening on and around the stage.
“Nowadays, people increasingly settle into their bubbles and stop seeing everything else,” says Fernanda Viana. “We see the wars, the genocide in Palestine, the inequality in our country, the massacre. There are hundreds of people killed there and it is easier not to see them.”
The woman who sees, played by the actress, maintains empathy and is able to understand others.
“I’m glad this comes in a woman’s voice. A female has the ability to accept affection.”
Portela’s partnership with Galbao arose as a result of the director’s visit to the group’s headquarters in Belo Horizonte. The two sides finalized their schedule and began the screening process, which included extensive work with Federico Poppi, the production’s musical director.
The actors participated in workshops with Puppi to create the original soundtrack with ten songs.
Rehearsals of actor-actor dynamics were also part of the creative process.
The band created a consistent structure, for example, to interact with the extras. The work team has enlisted the help of friends to train the amateurs to perform, which gives more confidence in the performance. Furthermore, a blind man taught the artists how to guide a blind person.
“We prepare a lot,” Ines adds. “But every night is different. The chemistry happens live. Every body that comes in is energy. That’s the beauty of theatre.”
According to the actress, Portela is a director who cares about creative sparks and brought to the group the challenge of moving between dramatic and epic situations.
“We are inside the story, telling the story, and in between those two states, we are actors and actors who can look, express opinions, and offer ideas.”
Tickets for the entire season are sold out, however, at each session the audience queues up trying to get some leftovers – a lot of people do.
There is a glimmer of hope in “(Mother) Essay on Blindness.”