The actor and director Cleiton Echeveste has moved from his hometown in Brazilian South state Rio Grande do Sul to Rio de Janeiro in 2002. In the South he discovered theater and had graduated in Drama.
When he was graduating, he got Vera Karam´s short story Aspargos Uruguaios em Oferta and adapted it to a solo play. And what was a College play, reached three years season in Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo. This work has given him an important prize as best actor.
Now he is the actor, director and creator, together with Eduardo Almeida, of the Pandorga Theatre Company that recently staged O menino que brincava de ser, a play for children adapted from the Georgina Martins´ book . But the Pandorga is not going to be concerned only to theatre for children. He is thinking about an adult project for 2009. "It is a still desire that is gradually finding its proper ways".
But it is always a desire the beginning of everything.
And it is still Cleiton´s desire (and a great deal of work!) to find a regular sponsorship to support financially the Pandorga Company: Our search never ceases! For Pandorga´s first work in theatre for children Cleiton had to overcome the risky task of producing a play without sponsorship and with a ticket selling income that do not pay the expenses in spite of the great audience the play had. To stage O menino que brincava de ser, the company shared the budget, performed other production functions; work in other professions and also had that faith that places theatre as something broader. A kind of certainty that only those who has sincerely stepped on a stage can understand.
Me and great part of the artists that work in Brazilian theater resist for the faith we have in our art. Faith in the sense of a deep and sometimes incomprehensible certainty that what we do has some value, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of others. Theater brings a kind of sense to our lives, a relief for the anguish of being here without knowing where we came from or where we will go. I find also that theater is the antidote for all that barbarism we have to face daily.
Meet the works, the projects and the desires of Cleiton Echeveste.
People say that theater for children lives a positive moment regarding publicity and more opportunities of work. Do you agree with that? Aren´t there a global crisis in theatre anyway?
In fact there is a global crisis in everything! Theatre, education, health and, mainly, values. And when I say values, I do not refer barely to ethical and moral ones, but also to the value that we give ourselves, to our dreams and desires, to our projects and to our achievements. It is notorious low self-esteem of the Brazilian people, the notion of inferiority regarding what comes from abroad in several fields, economy, politics, sports, culture, arts. The notion of our own value is something that only we can give ourselves.
Why have you chosen Rio de Janeiro to work and organize your company?
For those who wasn´t born in Rio de Janeiro or in SĂŁo Paulo, perhaps it can be difficult to understand the appealing power – and also a repulsion –that those centers have on people from the other parts of the country. I am not an exception to this rule. Facing several limits in Porto Alegre, where I´ve started my career, I chosed to move to a a big center searching for new perspectives and professional challenges. Rio de Janeiro is a welcome city besides being a beautiful city. And for a "migrant" it is fascinating the mixture that the city shows, despite of all the problems. Living in Rio de Janeiro one is near – is that an illusion? – of the decision center.
You work as an actor and director. Are those functions complementary somehow for you?
"O Menino que brincava de ser" is my third experience as director. Directing is a very interesting exercise and actors do that. Actors should have a kind of distant and critical approach to their own work. I consider theatre direction work something really complementary to my work as actor. It´s a privilege and a great responsibility to be this outside "eye" in that play.
How do you compare those two "markets" - Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul?
In the South, there is more "mobility", I mean, actors work in plays for children as much as for adults, without distinction. On the other hand, audiences value so much the theater that comes from Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul. And that has no reason because the South has wonderful theatre companies, actors, directors, I can mention: Grupo Cuidado que Mancha, Caixa do Elefante, Ă“i NĂłis Aqui Traveiz, DepĂłsito de Teatro. But Rio Grande do Sul holds a small cultural market, and many artists choose to leave, as I did. Here in Rio de Janeiro, there is a great variety of things. We have here good places promoting training courses, cultural centers that mantains cultural support projects for theatre – Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Centro Cultural da Caixa EconĂ´mica Federal, Oi Futuro Cultural Institute, SESC – and there are also very active theatre organizations as the Brazilian Center of Theatre for Children and Young People (CBTIJ),Research and Study Centre of Theatre for Children (CEPETIN), Rio de Janeiro Theatre Association for Producers (APTR).
How was the season of "O menino que brincava de ser"? Are you going to start another one?
It was very good! We had two seasons - Teatro Maria Clara Machado and Teatro Ziembinski. We have got good reviews and a qualification as a recommended play by the Research and Study Center of Children for Children (CEPETIN). And, more than that, I am receiving a very positive return from the audience,from children to adults. Many come to speak with us in the end of the performance or leave scraps in our Orkut community. At this moment we are not on stage because we haven´t found a theatre yet. I hope until December we can be able to define our next season in Rio de Janeiro.
At present, you are dedicated professionally only to the works of the company?
Pandorga is my great focus -- the plays for children and also a project called "Theater in English", comic short scenes, spoken in English, that we perform at schools, companies, hotels. Also I am thinking about a play for adult for 2009.
Future projects?
Working to stabilish Pandorga Company, find partners and sponsors for our productions -- that is fundamental!
PANDORGA Theatre Company in O Menino que brincava de ser is actor and director Cleiton Echeveste - actors Diogo Villa Maior, Jan Macedo - actresses Cristina Froment, Fernanda Sousa Lima, Nice SimeĂŁo – costume and scenary designers Viviane Cavalheiro and Denilce Franco – body preparator Jiddu Saldanha – musician Gustavo Finkler – lightning designer Tiago Mantovani – visual art designer Rui Faleiro and AndrĂ© Arantes – Publicist JĂşlio Rosemberg – producers Eduardo Almeida and Joana Carmo.
PANDORGA WEBSITE
www.pandorgaciadeteatro.com.br
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