By Heart (Portugal)
Written and performed by Tiago Rodrigues
A production by TEATRO NACIONAL D. Maria II, after an original creation by the company Mundo Perfeito.
“Once 10 people know a poem by heart, there’s nothing the KGB, the CIA or the Gestapo can do about it. It will survive.”— George Steiner
Can poetry give us hope? Written and performed by Portuguese playwright and actor Tiago Rodrigues, By Heart invites 10 volunteers from the audience to learn a poem, by heart, on stage. While the poem is being learnt, Rodrigues leads the participants and the audience through a series of illuminating, intergenerational stories about famous writers, fictional characters, and most profoundly of all, his grandmother, who is losing her sight and with it the ability to read.
An ode to language and literature, Rodrigues’ beautiful, deceptively simple play gets to the heart of what connects us as humans, the value of ideas in art and revolution, and the wonders of memory and memorisation. A moving theatrical experience that will touch your heart and soul – and remind us all of the power of words.
Written and performed by Tiago Rodrigues
Text with fragments and quotes by William Shakespeare, Ray Bradbury, George Steiner, Joseph Brodsky, among others
Duration 75 to 120 min without intermission
Set, props and costume | Magda Bizarro
English translation | Tiago Rodrigues, revised by Joana Frazão
Executive production on the original creation | Magda Bizarro, Rita Mendes
Co-producers | O Espaço do Tempo, Maria Matos Teatro Municipal
Executive Producer | Rita Forjaz
Stage Manager | André Pato
Theatre Representative / Tour Manager | Magda Bizarro