TANIA DIGITAL COFFEE TALK for TiP platform members

TiP Online

14 October 2022

Tania’s Digital Coffee Talk was centered around the practicalities of working with emerging artists in a new cultural environment. 

Tania evoked JÁ’s inaugural theatrical production at Lisbon’s Teatro do Bairro: “The Bear” by Chekhov and “A Florentine Tragedy” by Oscar Wilde. She talked about engaging newcomers to theatrical life (actors, light & sound designers, stagehands), working with them in English, and about how JÁ moved on from a theatre to staged readings in non-conventional venues as a response to the financially bruising reality of theatre rental costs! 

Tania not only directed both plays, she also did the set design. She went into detail about creating the visual and tactile world of each play, using dynamic, mobile scenography that focuses key elements of the characters’ lives. She stressed the importance of tactile and emotional connections, and the importance of not crowding the stage with objects that are “mere objects” and have no fundamental emotional connection to the play.

The presentation and practical info were followed by an open discussion among the participants on how to follow artists’ careers after the show, and how theatrical companies with young talents but limited resources can best help each other to evolve in the cultural scene in different countries. TiP members shared their experience of helping artists by creating an Artists’ Pool, updating profiles on company/production websites, putting artists in touch with industry professionals, and providing new learning opportunities via online and offline workshops.

X