Amores de Leste
Hotel Europa (Portugal)
World premiere | Coproduction | With German surtitles
AMORES DE LESTE (Love in the East) is a co-production of euro-scene Leipzig with Culturgest in Lisbon and Theatre de la Ville in Paris. The play deals with the lives of young Portuguese anti-fascist activists and nationals from Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau who fought against dictatorship and colonialism in their countries and for the establishment of independent republics after the Carnation Revolution in 1974. To support them in this struggle, they were taken to the former Eastern Bloc countries for training or study until 1989. In Leipzig, scholarships were awarded by the Herder Institute for this purpose.
What impact did these stays, sometimes lasting several years, on the other side of the Iron Curtain have on their lives? Has their perception of communism changed? Some left the party after this experience.
Others remained communists. Some entered into love relationships and started families. Many of them were torn apart by the collapse of communism.
In June 2021, the Hotel Europa team visited Leipzig for a week-long research residency. They went through archives and collected testimonies from people who experienced these situations. Based on this, a documentary theater is created that reflects contemporary history in personal love stories and examines the interaction of love, family ties and world politics between Europe and Africa.
Hotel Europa is a theater company from Lisbon, directed by Czech-born Tereza Havlíčková and Portuguese André Amálio.
Credits
Creation André Amálio, Tereza Havlíčková With André Amálio, Andreia Galvão, Beatrice Cordier, Celise Manuel, Jorge Cabral, Mbalango, Tereza Havlíčková Assistant director Cheila Lima Lighting + Technical direction Joaquim Madaíl Video Marta Salazar Set design Ana Paula Rocha Assistant set designer Aurora dos Campos
Coproduction Culturgest (Lisbon, Portugal), Thêátre de la Ville (Paris, France), euro-scene Leipzig Support Fundo de Fomento Cultural, Internationalization support of República Portuguesa-Ministério da Cultura / DG Artes.
Main Supporters
euro-scene leipzig is institutionally supported by the City of Leipzig and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Culture and Tourism. Co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.