“It’s a special, nerve-wracking night.” These were the first words of María Elisa Domínguez in conversation with journalists after the completion of the performance of “Cartas de Amor”, on the night of Thursday 4 May, in her first appearance on stage alongside Virgilio Castillo at the Tagospark Auditorium, in Oeiras.
The moment was unique in that, in addition to the support of many friends and well-known faces, it was attended by one of the greats of Portuguese theatre, Rui de Carvalho.
“I don’t think it was even the best show in the last few days, but I think it’s normal because there is tension associated with being in the audience. But It’s a very good night to have a lot of friends here and then great theatrical references. I find it extraordinary that Rui de Carvalho had the humility to come here to witness the debut of a newcomer. He is a constant source of inspiration and an exceptional lesson. I was very impressed with him being here. Life is worth it for these things.”And highlighted.
This was a piece that the journalist “fell in love with” already, after seeing it for the first time in Paris, in 1991. She followed it in other countries and, in 2011, decided to share it with director Paulo Souza Costa. desire to explain it. Text by AR Gurney with translation by Armando Nascimento Rosa. “It was a passion I fed into and I always found this to be a good script.”confirmed.
“I thought I would love to do this play, and on the one hand, I thought it was relatively easy because there were only two actors and also because it was a read. The author himself says there shouldn’t be too many rehearsals,” he explained, emphasizing that “I wanted to make This piece”, as he found it “very beautiful”.
The dream of interpreting this text came true about 12 years after he first spoke to Paulo Costa, leading, he says, to a certain point that he believed would no longer be realized.
© Yellow Star Corporation
“I’ve always found play very interesting, I think Paolo arranged the hardest version for the cast of all I’ve seen. Others largely follow the message that the author left it in 1989, when the piece was published. They are two people who read letters side by side, almost without showing them out.He also commented that the director had “never seen the play outside of here” and, therefore, “wasn’t contaminated with any of the elk” that María Elisa had seen.
“I don’t know if people have noticed, but I’m dead, I’m already dead. That’s why I don’t wake up. Virgilio wakes up and I don’t. I come from heaven, I’m a soul here, And I don’t have much experience knowing how spirits behave. So she’s a completely different person than me. It’s definitely a big challenge.”
This adventure takes place after 40 years of conservatory attendance and 72 years of age. “It’s a risk, but I think it’s a fairly calculated risk. My life now doesn’t depend on this new career. If anything, great.”He confesses, explaining later that to embark on another adventure in the world of theater, everything will depend on the play.
“I think people, in order to age well, need to challenge themselves and do new things. There are studies that say it’s great for a head to learn a new language, because I don’t feel like learning Mandarin or something, the other basics I already speak… That’s a whole different thing. I’m clearly out of my comfort zone, my way of setting things up. It’s a completely different thing, I wouldn’t play with emotions while giving an interview, on the contrary. This is almost the opposite exercise. He emphasized that what I have to show here is emotion all the time.”
‘love messages’© News by the minute
In turn, Virgilio Castillo, who started this project about three months ago, in possession of another piece at the same time, stated that María Elisa is not exactly a newcomer.
“Although she’s new to the theatre, she’s studied at the Conservatoire, so she’s got the training, and then she has a relationship with the rooms and the audience.”It is to explain. “Now it was about adapting to this car which is the stage, but I don’t think you can see anything new. He is praised as a reassuring person and has excellent contact with the public.”
In response to a question from Fama ao Minuto if these “love letters” led him back in the past, the actor didn’t hesitate: “Always dip.”
“We cannot memorize the text—except for the letter you read—but you have to interpret it, you have to study it, even if you haven’t memorized it, and when you interpret you have to look for the emotions. And the emotions are those we experience—the happy and the less happy, when we leave someone, when We leave. It’s all there,” he explained, later highlighting his work as an actor.
“Here the work is more of an actor in the sense of finding the emotional memory when I’m experiencing a certain thing – who said this to me, or to whom I said this,” he explained.
Has he ever written a love letter like the one he read during the play? “All kinds,” he replies, between laughs, also saying he keeps love letters in his box.
At the age of 70, 50 in the career, and also highlighting the presence of Rui de Carvalho who remains an inspiration at the age of 96, Virgilio Castillo shared that “as long as there is health”, he will continue with his career. “I belong to the group that doesn’t complain about anything.”it has finished.
Also Read: At the age of 72, María Elisa embraced the acting profession and made her theater debut
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