WORLD THEATER TAKES OVER THE CITY

Excitedly awaited by the public and artists, the 6th version of Belo Horizonte’s International Theater Festival Stage & Street starts next August 15th with the monumental street performance “Malaya” by Dutch group Close-Act.

Play: “Malaya” Group: Close-Act Photo: Hesther Melief

Promoted by Belo Horizonte’s City Hall / City Department of Culture and Minas Gerais Group Theater Movement Association (MTG), and counting on the sponsorship of Banco Itaú / Bemge and the support of the Federal Incentive Law of Culture, the Festival will be held from August 15th to 25th, 2002. Groups from the United States, Holland and Russia, participating for the first time, together with traditional guests such as Argentina, Spain, France and Poland, compose the program that will also bring groups from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre and Belo Horizonte.

Faithfully committed to offering the public a program where the quality criterion reigns, FIT-BH keeps itself open to the diversity of origin, style, esthetics and genre: gesture and word, contemporary times and tradition, humor and drama, circus, theater, dance, literature, poetry, cinema, video, fine arts and music will make up this rich panorama of artistic expressions presented on stages as well as in the streets.

FIT-BH/2002’s official opening ceremony will be held only for authorities and guests on Aug.14th (7 p.m.). After the ceremony, at 10 p.m., the Festival’s Moving Station - Meeting Point will be opened, offering the public a bar, different shows and artistic interventions till 4 in the morning.

The play exhibition will begin on Aug.15th at 8 p.m. at Praça Sete, featuring the following groups: Guarda de Congo Feminina and Guarda de Congo de Moçambique, Trovão das Minas, Tambor Mineiro, Bloco Miguilim and Bloco Tambolelê (Belo Horizonte), Boi da Manta (Lagoa Santa), Boi de Reis (São Francisco) and Batuque de d. Maria (São Romão).

At 9 p.m. these groups will start a great parade with two of Close-Act’s actors. On stilts, these emissaries of Malaya will lead the crowd towards Rui Barbosa Square (Praça da Estação). There, the crowd will be received by the rest of the Dutch cast who will then start the performance “Malaya” at 9:15 p.m.

Besides shows, performances, workshops, exhibitions and book launchings, the Festival’s Special Events Program will feature something new: BH-FIT / Rua - a series of activities aiming to foster the discussion about street theater and reflect upon the reasons for the sensible decrease in the production of this genre in Belo Horizonte. The program consists of lectures and the Street Micro-play Show. Joined in three blocks of three micro-plays each - each block will be considered one presentation - these performances will be part of the Festival’s street play program.

This year the program will be extended to the city of Vespasiano, part of the “Great BH”, where the population will have free access to one stage and one street performance.

Admission will be free to more than half of the performances (47) in the program. These will be presented in streets, squares, street markets and churches around the nine administrative areas of the city, with strong interaction between public and actors. The ticket price for the other 42 performances will be accessible to the majority of the population. This assures and reaffirms the Festival’s commitment to being an essentially popular event.

Coordenação de Comunicação
Assessoria de Imprensa
e-mail: fitimp@pbh.gov.br
Tel: 3277-4166 / 3277-4241 / 3277-4493