The room is peppered with marker pens and flip-chart paper; we have been brainstorming lots of ideas throughout the week.
There have been lots of questions and wonderful discussions about the future of StoneCrabs Theatre Company. It ‘s been over 10 years since StoneCrabs was created, and with many projects under our belt (over 30), planning ahead is just as scary as it is exciting. One thing is certain: we are entering a new phase of our work and we are ready to take bigger risks!
I am often asked if StoneCrabs is a Brazilian Theatre Company. This question frequently crops up, which is understandable. I guess there will always be an overflow/ interest/ usage of Brazilian and Latin American themes in our work, as myself and Tereza Araujo, the founding members of StoneCrabs, are Brazilian. However, Brazil is such a hybrid place, so there will always be a spillage of other heritages into our work. For instance; Bahia, (the Brazilian estate were I am from), has a large community of people originally of Nigerian heritage, which has influenced lots of the cultural aspects of Brazil. This subconsciously influenced our production of The Burial by Nigerian playwright Bola Agbaje earlier this year. Additionally, going beyond the borders of our originating influences, the company is also led by Kwong Loke who brings East Asian influences, which has also filtered into our work as we have co-produced 4 projects with a company from Tokyo and are about to embark on our 5th.
StoneCrabs Theatre Company’s stage language, however, is unique. We are a hybrid, transnational company fusing aesthetics to create work that is visual, exciting and challenging. We are interested in stories of the diaspora created by world artists. We are interested in using our unique way of working to create theatre beyond borders: Global theatre made local.
I, for one, am very interested in the legacy that StoneCrabs will leave behind. With so much coming up; The Young Directors Training Programme now in its 8th year and the Brasiliance Heritage Project in mid-flow, that legacy is being built as we speak! I am so proud of what we have achieved in our first 10 years and cannot wait to reveal the projects that lay ahead!
So back to work, the flip chart paper and pen awaits! Watch this space!
Franko Figueiredo
Joint Artistic Director