In December 2024, while Marco Martins was considering adapting Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, focusing on the conflict between the individual and the collective, the PSP carried out a controversial police operation on Rua do Benformoso in Lisbon. Around 60 immigrants, mainly from Bangladesh, were forced to stand against a wall with their hands on their heads for two hours. Images of the episode, captured by residents, went viral and sparked public debate about the legitimacy of the action and the exposure of people with no criminal record. This case became symbolic of the way immigration has been treated in Europe: the target of manipulative political discourse, both from the far right and the media. The play, proposed by Marco Martins — the result of an invitation from Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture, with the co-production and collaboration of Centro Cultural de Belém, Teatro Municipal do Porto, and Théâtre de Liège — will be based on the testimonies and biographies of these people, who are now involved in the cast.
With journalistic research by Joana Pereira Bastos and Raquel Moleiro, and support from community leader Rana Uddin, the project proposes a critical reflection on the political use of the image of immigrants and the absence of their voice in the public sphere.
2025
13 e 14 December
Theatro Circo, Braga, PT
2026
16 e 17 January
Teatro Municipal do Porto, Porto, PT
13-15 March
CCB, Lisboa, PT
By MARCO MARTINS
Director and dramaturg MARCO MARTINS
Text by MARCO MARTINS, based on testimonies by the whole cast and on the research by JOANA PEREIRA BASTOS and RAQUEL MOLEIRO and works by HENRIK IBSEN, THOMAS OSTERMEIER, FLORIAN BORCHMEYER, ELIAS CANETTI, GEORGES DIDI-HUBERMAN, ROGER CAILLOIS, HANNAH ARENDT, CESARE PAVESE, HEIN DE HAAS, CLAIRE TOUZARD, ADÍLIA LOPES, ROBERT PECKHAM.
With AMIN NURUL, DIL BAHADUR ALE, JANIT FERNANDES, KAMAL CHOWDHURY, KAMAL SARDAR, NIRAJ KHADKA, RAJIB AL MAMUN, SABERA PARVIN, SHARKER NASRIN, SHOEHL RANA
and RITA CABAÇO and RODRIGO TOMÁS
Vocal composition and chorus with the cast RABIH BEAINI
Music composed by RABIH BEAINI
Additional music composed by JOÃO PIMENTA GOMES
Director’s assistant and dramaturgic support RITA QUELHAS
Support to the director’s assistant ALEXANDRA PETROVSKAYA
Light design NUNO MEIRA
Set design ISABEL CORDOVIL and JOÃO ROMÃO (xxxi.studio)
Set construction ARTWORKS
Sound design VITOR SANTOS
Technical direction PEDRO MOREIRA
Movement LUA CARREIRA, MARIA FONSECA
Movement workshop HUGO MARMELADA
Sound workshop JOÃO PIMENTA GOMES
Writing workshop MATILDE C.
Interview transcripts GABRIELA DIAS
Casting research JOSÉ PIRES
Photography BEATRIZ BANHA and ANDRÉ PRÍNCIPE
Booklet texts BÁRBARA REIS, JOANA PEREIRA BASTOS, MARCO MARTINS, MATILDE C. and RAQUEL MOLEIRO
Booklet design ATELIER PEDRO FALCÃO
Translation JOANA FRAZÃO
Arena Administration MARTA DELGADO MARTINS
Management and head of production SÉRGIO AZEVEDO
Executive production HUGO ALVES CAROÇA
This production was developed with the support of the Platform PROSPERO NEW, co-financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
Main co-producer CCB
Co-producers TEATRO MUNICIPAL DO PORTO, THEATRO CIRCO / BRAGA 25 - CAPITAL PORTUGUESA DA CULTURA, THÉÂTRE DE LIÈGE - THÉÂTRE D’ÉUROPE
Support PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC – CULTURE, YOUTH AND SPORT | DGARTES –DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR THE ARTS, GOETHE-INSTITUT PORTUGAL, ARTWORKS
Acknowledgements ADITYA SAXENA, ABDUL WAHID KHALIZAD, ASHRAF EMDI UDDIN, FAHIMA BEGUM, FARHANA AKTER, FARID AHMED PATWARI, FRANCISCA NEVES, KOMAL SHAHAZDI, MAZUMDER MOHAMED, MIZAN MIZAN, MOHAMED FAKHRUL, NELSON GOMES (FILHO ÚNICO), PEMBA SHERPA, RASEL, RENOVAR A MOURARIA, SABEE SHRESTHA, SANDIP BUSAL, SAURAV BAISHNAB, ZAKIUR RAHMAN, FUNDAÇÃO ARPAD SZENES-VIEIRA DA SILVA, MUSEU NACIONAL DO TEATRO E DA DANÇA
FECHAR
