01 Logística e Infra-estrutura no Brasil – Desafios e ... - Swisscam

cultura
Foto: Divulgação
F
Interview with José Henrique,
theater director, who brought
Dürrenmatt’s work to Rio
riedrich Dürrenmatt is a
renowned Swiss playwright.
Is he also known in Brazil? How
important is his work in the
context of the Brazilian theater?
JH: Although “The Breakdown” (Die Panne)
has not been seen in Brazil, some of
Dürrenmatt’s plays have already been
staged in the country, including his worldfamous
plays “The Visit of the Old Woman”
and “The Physicist”. Fernanda Montenegro,
for instance, was critically acclaimed in
“Play Strindbergh” in the 70’s. The Swiss
playwright is celebrated among Brazilian
actors, especially for creating characters
every actor would love to play, characters
like those in “The Breakdown”.
What made you choose his work
“The Breakdown” and turn it into
a theater play?
JH: Originally, it was the story argument
that attracted me. As part of the “Teatro na
Justiça” project of the Cultural Department
of the Magistrates’ School in Rio de Janeiro,
I have directed, since 1999, a number of
plays that focus on Law and Justice. We
were fortunate to come across both “The
Breakdown” and its adaptation to the theater,
written by Dr. Nilo Batista, a renowned
criminal lawyer from Rio de Janeiro. Therefore,
in addition to Dürrenmatt ingenious
plot, we could rely on the expertise of a
professional with great knowledge of the
Criminal Court environment and the area
jargon. The result is a fantastic comedy that
combines entertainment and wit.
The plot involves a staged trial, in
which the defendant proudly admits
to having murdered his boss. As
punishment, he is sentenced to
death by a jury that “had one too
much”. Well, in real life, defendants
never admit to having committed a
crime. What are your personal views
on this and how do Brazilian
theatergoers see the “absurdity”
of Dürrenmatt’s play?
JH: “The Breakdown” doesn’t intend to
criticize criminal behavior, which is already
morally punished by present law and the
correctional system. Everybody expects a
defendant to try to defend himself, no matter
where or when. The “absurd” reaction of
Alfredo Traps, the leading role, can be
viewed as coherent, considering he finds
out, during the funny “banquet-trial” that he
is capable of a great feat - committing the
crime of the century. Brazil used to be the
‘land of opportunities” for immigrants from
all over the world, including Switzerland.
Today it’s the “land of opportunists”, such
as Alfredo Traps, who seeks material
success at any cost, neglecting even the
most fundamental human values. “The Breakdown”
is about all “Alfredos” out there, who
know how to make a fortune, but know
nothing about themselves. The joke is on
them.
The Brazilian media focus on
ephemeral glamour, and on TV,
music, and fashion celebrities.
Besides not receiving the same
attention, the theater has a
different and smaller audience.
How do you explain this fact and
what’s your strategy to stimulate
people to come and watch “The
Breakdown”?
JH: The “celebrity culture” is a global phenomenon,
but the problem is even more
serious in our country, which doesn’t have a
quality educational system, leaving space
for mass communication, especially television,
to predominate. As I said before, Brazil is an
“Alfredos” assembly line, and these “Alfredos”
think they’re consuming things of their own
choice, but they’re actually swallowing down
what the media wants them to. Neither the
government nor the media is interested in
offering people a sophisticated, thoughtprovoking
artistic alternative. Brazilian art
production is stimulated as long it sticks to
what is mainstream, which is, actually, very
culture
swisscam nº44 03/2006
21