Hand in Hand: Teatro de Giz takes staged reading to the Triangle islands

The tour of the staged reading of Picnic on the Battlefield by the cultural association Teatro de Giz continues this weekend in several parishes of the islands of Faial, Pico and São Jorge. Next Sunday, 3 October, at 5 p.m., the churchyard of the parish of Urzelina, in São Jorge, will be the stage for this theatre show.

The tour through the parishes of the Triangle islands of the staged reading of Picnic on the Battlefield, written by Fernando Arrabal, was one of nine projects selected from the Hand in Hand programme of Azores 2027, in partnership with CRESAÇOR. This show intends to fulfil the purpose of taking the theatre to different parishes of Faial, Pico and São Jorge in order to embrace populations that may be short on cultural attractions and, at the same time, to create bonds and connectivity between groups and cultural stakeholders of the islands of the Triangle.

This project, says Sara Vanessa Santos, president of Teatro de Giz, “aims to talk about war, a recurring theme in our time, as in others, in a simple, emotional, humorous way and with an organic connection to the audience”. After two staged readings in the parishes of Capelo and Pedro Miguel (Faial Island) on 18-19 September, it will now be the parish of Urzelina, on the island of São Jorge, on 3 October, and then the parish of São Mateus, on the island of Pico, on 10 October.

Picnic on the Battlefield

Considered one of the great playwrights of the 20th century, the Spanish writer and filmmaker Fernando Arrabal is responsible for work with a strong political slant, which is why he got arrested in 1967 during Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. Picnic on the Battlefield is the first play written by the author. It is precise and critical writing that takes apart the absurdity of war with a surprising and bitter irony. After so many decades, the work remains current, and the banalisation of life and death continues to happen on the streets, in the world and around us, proving the genius of the author.

Teatro de Giz

Teatro de Giz is a non-profit cultural association, with Public Utility status granted by the Regional Government of the Azores in 2015. Throughout its already twenty-three years of existence, it has been developing a consistent activity of training in theatre arts and production of shows, whose objective is to contribute to the cultural enrichment of the community, stimulating its critical and creative capacities. As a cultural stakeholder, the group is committed to its role as a promoter of transformation and knowledge: it is firmly aware of the importance of the arts - and theatre in particular - in building a freer society and preserving the values of peace and ethics, cohesion and social inclusion in our community. Teatro de Giz bases its sustained growth on four fundamental pillars: Theatre, Training, Connection and Festivities. The group of amateur actors who set out to bring this project to fruition consists of men and women from a wide range of age groups, nationalities, professions and stage experience.

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Images of the staged reading Picnic on the Battlefield at the threshing floor of the port of Pedro Miguel (Faial):

“Because it is essential to deconstruct the role that each one of us thinks fits in the battlefield that our world has become. And because if there is any path that we want to point out with this work, it is that of freedom and peace.”

Photo Credits: Robert Priester