MAL DE ULISSES (2023)

Rui Catalão's theater project with the migrant communities

Portugal has witnessed in its recent history two little studied migratory experiences: those who left the country during the dictatorship and those who arrived in the era of the European Union. Fresh from a Portuguese society in rapid transformation, MAL DE ULISSES puts into dialogue testimonies of a country disappearing and another emerging.
The traumatic epic of those who left their home countries in search of another future, in MAL DE ULISSES old emigrants and young immigrants tell their story: why they left their families, their way of life, and the problems of adaptation they faced.

With distinct creations, adapted to the performance venues, and casts composed of immigrants or their descendants, MAL DE ULISSES takes place in various regions from north to south of the country. This working model advocates the progressive autonomy of local groups.

Conception, dramaturgy, text and direction: Rui Catalão
Performers: Natacha Campos, Benedito José, Peter Arcanjo, Rute Rocha Ferreira
Interviews: Madiu Furtado

Consulting production: Tânia M. Guerreiro
Executive Production: Marta Moreira

Apoios: Fundação GDA
Production: Irreal/Produções Independentes
Co-productions: Festival Todos (Lisbon), Futurama - Ecossistema Cultural e Artístico do Baixo Alentejo (Beja), Binaural Nodar (Vouzela) and Teatro das Figuras (Faro).