© Marina Bastos
© Marina Bastos
© Marina Bastos
Garotas Mortas, by Coletiva Palabreria, is an adaptation of the homonymous book by Argentine writer Selva Almada. The play follows the investigation of three unsolved femicides that took place in the 1980s. Through a cinema-theatre language, the performance interweaves the life stories of the murdered girls with reflections on gender-based violence and feminism.
About the Staging
For the staging of the performance, the artists developed a theatre-cinema language in which stage and screen remain in constant dialogue; the projections are indispensable to the live performance, just as the live performance is indispensable to the projections. This relationship is further emphasized by the absence of sound in the video. The soundscape is performed live by Canhestro under the musical direction of Dani Nega.
Like Selva Almada’s book, the performance is composed of different narrative registers. For each of them, the artists created a distinct audiovisual language, ranging from analogue film and archival footage to short films and other formats. The videos were produced by Coletiva Palabreria in collaboration with several audiovisual artists and feature the participation of twenty-four actors and actresses.
Drawing on the stories of the three murdered women—Maria Luísa, Andrea, and Sarita—Garotas Mortas articulates a critical reflection on patriarchy in Latin America. The work examines how these specific stories, narrated by Almada in her book, reveal a structural form of gender-based violence with continental dimensions, one that continues to claim the lives of thousands of women. The project was awarded funding through the 13th Zé Renato Prize of the São Paulo Municipal Department of Culture.
Performance Credits
GAROTAS MORTAS
by Selva Almada
Translation: Sergio Molina
Concept and Artistic Direction: Coletiva Palabreria
Staging and Dramaturgical Adaptation: Fernanda Machado, Luiza Romão, and Sofia Boito
Cast: Beatriz Cruz, Fernanda Machado, Sofia Boito
Musician on Stage: Canhestro
Stage Direction: Joana Dória
Musical Direction: Dani Nega
Lighting Design: Marisa Bentivegna
Lighting Adaptation and Operation: Nara Zocher
Set Design, Costumes, and Props: Érika Grizendi
Video Editing and Onstage Video Creation: Sérgio Silva
Videomapping: Vic Von Poser
Sound Technician and Operator: Nick Guaraná
Graphic Design: Laura Nakel
Tarot Card Illustrations: Elisa Riemer and Paula Mariá – Nosotras Tarô
Photography: Sérgio Silva
Teaser: Diogo de Nazaré
Production: COTIARA Produtora (Ana Elisa Mello and Samya Enes)
Video credits
Direction of Short Films and Interviews: Ana Julia Travia and Jéssica Queiroz
Video Art Direction: Sérgio Silva
Super 8 Direction, Processing, and Editing: Vinícius Campos
Director of Photography (Short Films and Interviews): Laís Aranha and Renata Pegorer
Super 8 Cinematography and Film Processing: Rodrigo Sousa & Sousa
Art Direction: Leila Tomás
Assistant Director (Short Films): Bianca Medina
Camera Assistants (Short Films): Janaína Carvalho, Keiko Kataoka, and Bárbara Balhe
Sound Recording (Interviews): Dora Florencio
Editing (Short Films): Bruna Forte
Editing (Interviews): Luiza Romão
Editing (Video Art), Archival Footage, and Animation: Sérgio Silva
Executive Production: Coletiva Palabreria
GUEST CAST (video appearance)
André Cezar Mendes, Ariane Aparecida, Cybele Jacome, Érica Ribeiro, Flávio Barollo, Glauber Pereira, Ícaro Rodrigues, Jéssica Nascimento, Joca Andreazza, Klarah Lobato, Larissa Nunes, Lilian Regina, Lilith Cristina, Lorena Andrade, Luciana Fontes, Lucienne Guedes, Marina Merlino, Mayra Coelho, Paula Klein, Romário Oliveira, Sérgio Siviero, Tatí Ribeiro, Vinícius Neri, and Walter Balthazar.