In William Shakespeare’s King Lear, there is a kingdom to divide into three. Three daughters and each will fit a part, the greater the demonstration of their affection for the king. The premise is simple and an open door to quackery. On one hand, a king who seeks to buy the love of his daughters. On the other, two daughters who do not skimp on sweet words and vows of eternal love for the king. Cordelia, the youngest, refuses to participate in the farce. There is an end in sight and the king tries to get rid of the burden of managing the kingdom, while at the same time seeking shelter with his daughters. On one hand, the urgency of continuing a legacy – the kingdom. On the other hand, the need for care and protection – old age.
Side by side and accomplices in the staging of the play, António Capelo and Bruno Martins. The first, actor, founder and director of the Porto theater school and company, and here: Rei Lear. The second, a former student, if you like… former apprentice, actor and artist-director of the Famalicão company, and here: director of the play.
Through the classroom of actor and teacher António Capelo, hundreds of artists who currently populate the Portuguese scene passed through the school’s thirty-two years. Many actors, some directors, playwrights, pedagogues, company directors, musicians… many others followed different paths, but for whom the theater school was a turning point in their lives.
The room of an acting class is a kind of capsule with a different space-time and gravity. The simple act of walking is transformed, the knees do not bend as usual, the tips of the fingers insist on pointing to the ground and the arms have been displaced from the torso. The room is suddenly a giant magnifying glass. The teacher’s eyes observe us from behind that magnifying glass and each gesture assumes an amplitude we didn’t know. It is necessary to go back to the beginning and relearn to walk, to talk, to simply be. The theater teacher then becomes a kind of master, a guide for understanding this new world that is the place from which we are observed.
The time has come for the apprentice to guide the master through that rugged terrain that is the character of King Lear, just as the faithful servant Kent guided his master Lear through the storm.
Age Rating: Over 12 years old
Approximate duration: 120 min.