Antônio Araújo
By creating with his artistic partners the Teatro da Vertigem, the Theatre of Vertigo, Antônio Araújo claimed his place in the Brazilian dramatic landscape as someone interested in research and experimentation. His approach consists first and foremost in taking his time: the time to produce and create a show, which can take up to two years; the time to play that show for as long as possible, sometimes up to three seasons in a row; the time to think about how to put it up outside the walls of the theatre, in locations fitting the themes of the show. That's how Paradise Lost was created in a church in São Paulo, The Book of Job in a hospital, Apocalypse 1.11 in a former prison, BR-3 on a boat floating down the Tietê River... Through those shows, Antônio Araújo reiterates his will to work not only with artists-thinkers, but also with an audience that's not afraid to think. Outside of the theatrical institution and of the South American continent, the Teatro de Vertigem has made itself known in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, or Paris. It is this awareness of the realities of Europe that led Antônio Araújo to imagine Say what you don't mean, in a language you don't speak.
JFP, April 2014
