SZENE
Salzburg

The Portuguese writer, director and artistic director Tiago Rodrigues stands alone on stage with ten empty chairs and a crate of books. In his highly personal piece By Heart he tells of his blind grandmother Cândida and how he memorized Shakespeare sonnets with her so that she could assert her independence in the face of losing her eyesight. Here he interweaves this story with tales by Boris Pasternak, George Steiner and the story of the legendary fireman Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451, who discovers that knowledge opens up a whole new life to him.

In a charming and engaging manner Tiago Rodrigues talks about the power of words that no one can take away because the human brain is the most secure way of storing what has been written down. Together with ten voluntary participants he brings this irreplaceable value onto the stage when the group learn Shakespeare’s famous sonnet no. 30 off by heart. Here a temporary community is created that offers impressive testimony to the power of poetic resistance.

Tiago Rodrigues is one of Portugal’s leading and most productive directors. He founded the company Mundo Perfeitoin 2003 together with Magda Bizarro and directed over 30 plays under its name, many of which toured worldwide. From the very beginning of his theatrical career, which he started as an actor, he has regarded the theatre space as a site for human encounters: a place like a coffee house, where people can meet to share their time and thoughts with each other. With his successful production By Heart from 2013 he now makes his first appearance in Salzburg.

+/-100min, in German & English.

• tndm.pt