The life and people of the working-class neighborhood of Cubatão, a city of Baixada Santista, are affirmed against the grain of its extinction in the 1980s. In this and the previous decade, Vila Parisi was embedded in the epicenter of the industrial zone that carried the epithet of the most polluted in the world.

The show narrates events that were collected in testimonials from former residents. Thus, it tries to recover the people and facts of the period in a symbolic and archetypal way.

Director Eliana Monteiro (Teatro da Vertigem, in São Paulo), invited by Coletivo 302 to guide the research and creation processes, defines the team she joined as “adult warriors.” Actresses and actors who were children decades ago survived the emission of toxic chemicals and now “look back at the past” through the prism of art and critical thinking.

“Who are you, Villa Parisi?” – the question guided the investigation for months, and, strictly speaking, members of the group will carry it with them throughout their lives. Developed from the site-specific concept, or art in situ, therefore conceived for outdoor exhibition, the play directed by Douglas Lima formulates a performative theater mixed with a deeply popular narrative.

A scenario of “dragons that puff black and yellow smoke and at the same time a lot of fire,” in the words of the advisor. With this “wild beast,” which expels benzene, artists and audiences will play together. Its premiere, in 2019, was at Praça do Cruzeiro Quinhentista, a monument at the foot of the so-called valley of death near Serra do Mar State Park.

Responsible for the dramaturgy composition, who supports the text in collaboration, Marcelo Ariel conjectures: “Our biggest challenge was to transcend memory and this dense nostalgia that, like a fog, covered the phenomenological horror experience of not only living in unhealthy territory but also being the involuntary guinea pig of an experience that, in everything, resembles that of the Nazi doctor. [Josef] Mengele [1911-1979]: the deliberate exposure of human beings to extreme conditions in order to study the effects of extremely toxic substances on these bodies.”

Who are they
Created in 2014, Coletivo 302 is made up of seven artists from Cubatão who emerged from the need to sing about their village, delve into ancestral memories and give new meaning to constructing the imaginary about their people and territory of action. It is responsible for the cultural point Galpão Cultural, in a public park. “Vila Parisi” opens the trilogy that tells the story of the city’s transformation from a peaceful rural village to an industrial zone and its consequences.

Datasheet
Direction Douglas Lima
Advisor Eliana Monteiro
Dramaturgy Cícero Gilmar Lopes
Dramaturgy composition Marcelo Ariel
Dramaturgy contributions Coletivo 302
Casting Alisse Flora, Allana Santos, Douglas Lima, Matheus Lípari, Sander Newton, Sandy Andrade e Tay O’hanna
Guest actresses Jùpïrã Transeunte, Lelê Cascardi, Maya Andrade e Wilson Gois
Stagehand Josué Salvino, Luana Laciny, Matheus Cordel, May Juvino, Rafael Almeida e Vanessa Souza
Sound research Sander Newton
Chant preparation Douglas Lima
Chant advisory Nailse Machado
Musicians Jaqueline da Silva, Marcozi Santos e Rodrigo Suzuki
Original composition Isabel Tavares, Sander Newton e Sandy Andrade
Sound production Marcozi Santos e Sander Newton
Sound technique Thiago Varella
Sound operation Marcozi Santos e Thiago Varella
Research, design and light technique Juliana Sousa e Matheus Lípari
Light operation Juliana Sousa e Matheus Cordel
Scenography Douglas Lima e Tay O’hanna
Stagecraft Írio Sandres
Costumes Douglas Lima e Sandy Andrade
Dressmakers Dudu e Reinaldo Trick
Visual project Lucas Bêda
Teaser Franscisco Sá
Communication Allana Santos
Production Alisse Flora e Tay O’hanna
Production assistants Allana Santos e Sandy Andrade
Executive production Sander Newton
Partnership Uzina Coletiva e Galpão Cultural Cubatão
Support Movimento Teatral da Baixada Santista
Execution Coletivo 302