BARBARA SANTOS
The origin? Rio de Janeiro. Born, raised, lived: Carioca!
Berlin, my adopted city, which affects me, scares me, inspires me and rebuilds me.
Multiple people in colors, cultures, places, knowledge, stories, beliefs and hopes make up who I have been, who I am being and who I am yet to be.
Woman, black, mother, daughter, sister, friend and partner.
Playwright, director, creator, actress, activist, kuringa, poet, author, autonomous…
I am of the images… words, movements, sounds and actions.
I imagine, I write, I express, I facilitate, I guide, I stimulate, I represent, I stage, I act.
I am alive in the stage of life.
Theater of the Oppressed: brainchild of Augusto Boal.
Brazil inside! Around the world!
Teatro de las Oprimidas: I am my own creation in the invention of so many others.
I strengthen myself in collectives that intertwine in articulated webs.
A crowd that moves moving worlds in motion.
Art as a mirror and as a choice.
As a proposal: questions and answers.
Questions as a strategy.
Answers through solidarity.
MAIARA CARVALHO
Cancer in the zodiac sign, a blue color lover, a fan of mango juice, and the singers Alcione, Rihanna, and Nina Simone. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Theater at CAL (Casa de Artes Laranjeiras, Rio de Janeiro), she is a Pedagogue, Actress, Capoeirista, Percussionist, and a curinga in the Theater of the Oppressed. She is a member of the management board of the Center for Theater of the Oppressed – CTO, where she also coordinated the Theater of the Oppressed Women’s Project 2021/2023 and the Culture Point Project 2018/2020. She has international experience in the Theater of the Oppressed, participating in events, workshops, and exchanges in the USA, Germany, Peru, Guinea-Bissau, and Argentina. She is a co-author of the article “Peace in Maré,” author of the articles “Maré 12: High tide and calmness theater, discovery, life”; “Chat with them: girls, Young and OLDER…”; “Curinga Identities”; “Swinging to become a Curinga”, “The present future”; interview with Amir Hadad – Strong alliance good neighbor”; “The Theater of the Oppressed Group Ponto Chic”, published in the METAXIS magazines in 2016, 2020, and 2023 by CTO.
GABRIEL HORSTH
Black, bixa, and from the favelas. Born and raised in the Complexo da Maré, I love carnaval, summer, and the beach. An Aquarius and a journalism student at FACHA. Social communicator, actor, and a Beyoncé fan – Unique! Member of the Management Board of the Center for Theater of the Oppressed (CTO). Facilitator of Theater of the Oppressed and Theater of the Oppressed Women, with experience in conducting theater workshops in institutions, schools, universities, social movements, and socio-educational departments, among others. Part of the Theater of the Oppressed Group (GTO) Cor do Brasil. Founder of LAB, LGBTQIAPN+ laboratory. Former director/facilitator of Grupo Pantera, an extension collective of LAB. Acted as an actor in the UNIRIO Extension Project, Theater in Communities. Joined Grupo Atiro, an extension collective of CIA Marginal. I have experience with short films and commercials. Represented Brazil in the 3rd Latin American Congress of Community Living Culture held in Quito, Ecuador, in 2017. In 2019, I participated in the Legislative Theater And Racial Justice exchange program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in the USA.
ALESSANDRO CONCEIÇÃO
I’m from the smiling city, Niterói, RJ. Black, 40 years old, actor, ARTivist, Facilitator, and journalist. I’ve traveled all over Brazil and around the world. Always been involved with Theater of the Oppressed in various groups and collectives. Starting with the Theater of the Oppressed Group Pirei na Cenna, moving on to Cor do Brasil, Liberarte, and Marear, among others. In cinema, I’ve participated in productions such as: “Nossos passos seguirão os seus” (2021); “Pirei na Cenna – Theater of the Oppressed in Mental Health” (2021); “Cadê a gente?” (2020); “Azul” (2020); “O senhor de toda cruz” (2018); “Quanto pesa?” (2017); “Desterro” (2017); “A máquina de moer pretos” (2017); “Siyanda” (2016); “Negrxs dizeres” (2015); “FESMAN 2010: do leste à oeste, do norte ao sul” (2010). I’m also a member of the Siyanda Collective – Experimental Cinema of the Black. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Arts (UERJ), a Master’s in Ethical Racial Relations (CEFET/RJ), and graduated in Social Communication (FACHA) RJ. Facilitator of the Center for Theater of the Oppressed (CTO). In life, I’ve been a street vendor, bank apprentice, chocolate store attendant, Social Educator… in short, a Facilitator for whatever comes my way… Axé!
ELOANAH GENTIL
I am the creator of the OCA-VIRADOURO movement, a mother, a Leo, a parliamentary advisor, a Black favela-born woman, and a facilitator of Theater of the Oppressed Women. Also, I love the beach and sunsets. Facilitator at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed (CTO) since 2016, originally from Niterói/RJ, graduated in administration from Estácio de Sá College; Technical Training in Cultural Production from IFRJ/Secretariat of Culture of Niterói, Master of Ceremonies. I began working with the Theater of the Oppressed (TO) within a psychiatric hospital in Jurujuba, with the Theater of the Oppressed Group Pirei na Cenna in Niterói. ARTivist anti-racist, in 2019, I acted as an actress in the film “Medida Provisória,” directed by Lazaro Ramos. In 2018, I acted as an actress in the play “Qual é o seu Lugar?” with the Madalena Anastácia collective. In 2018, I started working as a Facilitator at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed and the Theater of the Oppressed Circuit project sponsored by Petrobras. In 2016, I acted as an actress in the play “Suspeito” with the Cor do Brasil group. In 2015, I acted as an actress in the play “Consciência dos cabelos aos pés?” with the Madalena Anastácia collective.
RAQUEL DIAS
Born and raised in the Baixada Fluminense, Nova Iguaçu. Studying Civil Engineering at Celso Lisboa and pursuing an artistic career as an actress at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed. An Aquarius passionate about capoeira and a dedicated soccer fan. In 2017, I joined as an actress and coordinator in the Theater of the Oppressed Group “Ponto Chic.” In the same year, I acted in the short film “Desterro,” which won the popular jury award at the 72-hour Festival. In 2018, I participated in the Theater of the Oppressed Circuit project sponsored by Petrobras through the Cultural Incentive Law of the State of Rio de Janeiro. In 2019, I presented my performance “A Realidade” at the Theater of the Oppressed event “Festo.” In 2020, I participated in the “Cultura Presente nas Redes” program, sponsored by the State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy of Rio de Janeiro. In 2021, I completed the course “The Role of the Facilitator in Times of Pandemic” at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed. In the same year, I joined the CTO team as an Assistant Facilitator. In the same year, I conceived and produced the LGBTQIA+ event in Praça de Ponto Chic, Nova Iguaçu.
MANU MARINHO
Manu Marinho is a Taurus, a cat lover, a witch, and the queen of karaoke. An educator and writer who loves nature, I’m an ARTivist, a feminist, and a master’s student in Arts at UERJ. I’m a Facilitator at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed, a specialist facilitator of Theater of the Oppressed and Theater of the Oppressed Women, and I have been part of the institution’s team since 2018. I coordinate the CTO Course Program and act in the play “Gèneres” (2021) by the Centro de Teatro do Oprimido Company, directed by Bárbara Santos. I started my journey in theater in 2014, joining the Libre Workshop at the Martins Peña State Technical School. In 2016, I became an actress in the Madalenas Rio Group, a collective that is part of the Ma(g)dalena International Network – Theater of the Oppressed; I served as a Facilitator for the collective from 2018 to 2022, also representing the Brazilian region. In the group, my main works include the performance “Bela, Recatada e do Lar” and the plays “Afeto que afeta” and “Se essa rua fosse minha,” the latter under my direction. In 2017, I participated in the II International Ma(g)dalena Festival – Theater of the Oppressed in Berlin. In 2022, I coordinated the season of the play “Gêneres” as part of the Retomada Cultural 2 program. I hold a degree in Portuguese/Literature from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2009) and a specialization in Portuguese and African Literature from the same institution (2010). I published my first book of short stories, “O gosto amargo da maçã caramelada,” by Multifoco Publishing in 2014. My interests include Arts, Education, Ethnical-Racial Relations, Gender, Anthropology, and Mythology.
MARCELO HELENO DANTAS
The sun that shines on my skin reflects my ancestors, flowing without chains through the currents until it reaches me. Born in Maré, from Rio, from the bay that leads to the ocean. Graduating in Portuguese and Literature at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ. Part of the facilitation team at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed (CTO RIO), working as a Facilitator, multiplier, and researcher of the Theater of the Oppressed (TO) methodology. Part of the Maré em Movimento do Teatro do Oprimido – MaréMoTO collective and the Marincanto group as a director/facilitator. An actor in the Cor do Brasil group, the CTO company, and the LGBTQIAPN+ Laboratory. Also worked as a TO educator in the Viradouro branch, formed by teenagers from the Viradouro complex, Niterói, between 2021 and 2023.