Nós & Shakespeare
24 November 2006
Since August 2005, acclaimed Brazilian theatre photographer, Ellie Kurttz, has been collaborating with the Vidigal based theatre company Nós do Morro and the Royal Shakespeare Company on an extraordinary photographic project. She has been documenting the work which went on in Brazil and the UK to bring a very Brazilian version of The Two Gentlemen of Verona to Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the RSC’s Complete Works Festival.
Her collaboration with the two companies culminates in an exhibition called Nós & Shakespeare which runs from 8 - 22 December at Gallery 32, Green Street, London, part of the Embassy of Brazil.
‘I am so excited about this project,’ says Ellie. ‘It has brought together two very important aspects of my life – being Brazilian and being a theatre photographer. My aim is to celebrate and capture the strength, belief and commitment of everyone involved in the adventure of bringing a group of Brazilians to Stratford-upon-Avon to perform one of Shakespeare’s love stories on an RSC stage in Portuguese. The photographs were taken in two different countries with two different realities. However, the subject remains the same and is universal – theatre.
‘When people walk into Gallery 32, I want them to feel that they are entering a live theatre environment, so I will surround them with colourful images and sounds from the rehearsal room.’
Nós do Morro, which has been run successfully by Guti Fraga for the past 20 years, is a theatre company and school based in the Favela do Vidigal, in Rio de Janeiro. It provides a safe and creative environment to over 3,000 children and adolescents living in dangerous and problematic communities. Actors from Nós do Morro have gone on to appear on stage, TV and notably in the award-winning film, City of God. RSC Voice Director, Cicely Berry has been working with the group for the past ten years, and was the inspiration for the connection between Nós do Morro and the RSC.
Ellie Kurttz has lived and worked extensively in London since 1995. She has exhibited in the UK, Spain and Brazil. After graduating with distinction from a post-graduate course in art and photography at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design in 2002, she started working as a theatre photographer.
As a former ballerina, Ellie has a unique relationship with movement, which can be seen in her work. Her images are dynamic, passionate and fragile.
There will be a private view of the exhibition at Gallery 32, on Thursday 7 December from 6pm – 8pm.
Further information
If you need more information, photographs, or would like to attend the private view please contact:
Nada Zakula at the Royal Shakespeare Company on 01789 412622, nada.zakula@rsc.org.uk
Notes to editors:
Contemporaneous Brazilian Theatre and it’s social importance
As part of the project Ellie and The Embassy of Brazil are promoting events during December including:
A discussion about contemporary Brazilian Theatre on the 11th of December at Gallery 32, 32 Green Street, London, W1K 7AT at 6.30pm with:
André Pink – Artistic director of The Dende Collective
Franko Figueiredo – Artistic Director of The Stone Crabs
Paul Heritage - Professor of Drama at Queen Mary, University of London
There will also be a screening footage of Nós do Morro working on The Gentlemen of Verona.
