Between the silence and the voice

• Grant number: 24/12853-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: February 14, 2025
• End date: July 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Theatre
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Spina de Oliveira Castro
• Grantee: Rodrigo Spina de Oliveira Castro
• Host Investigator: Sara Joana da Rosa Belo Patronilo de Araujo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Artes (IA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (IPL), Portugal

Abstract

The proposed research project aims to investigate the various qualities of silence in Contemporary Theater, both as an investigative procedure for actors and as a scenic language. The project will be carried out at ESTC (School of Theater and Cinema) of the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, in conjunction with CIAC (Research Center in Arts and Communication), based at the University of Algarve, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sara Belo. Due to addressing dual issues about silence, including the potentials of affect on the performer and the socio-cultural politics of silencing, as will be detailed below, it is necessary to conduct the project in Portuguese lands.Two axes will guide the full achievement of the proposed objectives: "Practices of Silence" and "Silenced Voices." The first axis involves a series of actions during the supervised internship, including: attending the course taught by Prof. Dr. Sara Belo, a practical workshop for undergraduate and graduate students of ESTC/CIAC and Lusophone actors from other nationalities interested, as well as organizing and participating in the second international meeting "Voices in the Voice of Living Arts" with Lusophone researchers of Voice Arts from various nationalities.The second axis, "Silenced Voices," aims to consolidate the procedures investigated in the practical workshop with the staging of the text "Migrants or There Are Too Many People in This Shitty Boat or Hall of Fences and Walls" by Matéi Visniec, involving the same participants, both Portuguese and migrants from other nationalities. To deepen the discussion of the themes addressed in the staging, there will be a debate with the audience after the process opening.In addition to the process opening, which will serve as a synthesis of the research, the final result will also include the writing of an analytical article on the experience as a whole.