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Where did blackface begin? When does blackface end?

Blackface is a solo performance written and directed by Marco Mendonça a musical lecture that blends stand-up comedy with fantasy, satire with physical theatre, burlesque with documentary.

Drawing from personal experiences and the history of blackface as a racist theatrical practice from its roots in the United States to its occurrences in Portugal Marco Mendonça explores the limits of what can or cannot be represented on stage. Considering the extensive record of events in which this racist practice was used to portray Black people as inferior members of Portuguese society, is it possible to claim that racism does not exist in Portugal?

© Diana Tinoco
© Diana Tinoco
© Diana Tinoco
© Diana Tinoco

Credits

Artistic Direction, Creation and Interpretation
Marco Mendonça

Creation Support
Bruno Huca

Dramaturgical Support
Gisela Casimiro

Video
Heverton Harieno

Musical Composition and Sound Design
Mestre André

Light Design
Rui Monteiro

Set Design
Pedro Azevedo

Costumes
Aldina Jesus

Technical Direction and Light Operation
Manuel Abrantes

Scenography 
TBA

Translation to English
Joseph Owen

Subtitles Preparation
Patrícia Pimentel

Diffusion and Production
Teatro do Vão / Carolina P. Gameiro

Production
Alkantara / Sinara Suzin (2023-24)

Co-production
Alkantara, Teatro do Bairro Alto, Teatro Viriato

Co-Production in Residency
O Espaço do Tempo

Residency Support
Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre

Acknowledgments
Ana Cristina Mendonça, André e. Teodósio, Artistas Unidos, Bernardo Peixoto, Catarina Amaral, Cidália Espadinha, Cleo Diára, Eduardo Mendonça, Eduardo Molina, Gio Lourenço, Isabél Zuaa, Márcia Mendonça, Marcos Cardão, Maria Jorge, Nádia Yracema, Nuna, Nuno Lopes, Soraia Tavares, Raquel S., Tiago Bartolomeu Costa, Vanessa Coelho.

© Diana Tinoco

Marco Mendonça

Marco Mendonça was born in Mozambique in 1995 and has lived in Lisbon since 2007. He holds a degree in Theatre from the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. He works regularly with the theatre company Os Possessos and completed an internship at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, where he collaborated with João Pedro Vaz, Tiago Rodrigues, and Faustin Linyekula. He has also performed in productions by Liesbeth Gritter (Kassys), Tónan Quito, and mala voadora.

He made his debut as a playwright and co-creator alongside João Pedro Leal and Eduardo Molina with Parlamento Elefante, the winning project of the Amélia Rey Colaço Grant. In 2021, he received support from Rede 5 Sentidos for the project Cordyceps, also co-authored with João Pedro Leal and Eduardo Molina. He is part of the cast of Catarina e a Beleza de Matar Fascistas, by Tiago Rodrigues, and has been developing work in playwriting and theatre translation.