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The National
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Mark Brown: Portugal's Festival de Almada offers warning from history
As the anticipation grows, it can be easy to forget that, elsewhere, the summer festival season is already in full swing. Here in Portugal, theatre lovers descend every July on the city of Almada. Sitting under the huge statue of Cristo Rei (Christ the King), this former industrial town boasts, in Festival de Almada, Portugal's leading showcase of international and Portuguese theatre. Over the last 17 years, I have had the great privilege of attending most editions of this remarkable festival which is staged mainly in Almada, but also in venues across the River Tagus in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. Created in 1984 by the late, visionary theatre director Joaquim Benite, the festival has been guided expertly (since Benite's death in 2012) by his chosen successor, Rodrigo Francisco. The festival manages to be simultaneously impressive (both in its scale and in the quality of the artists it presents), yet also unpretentious and welcoming (to local and visiting guests alike). One of its excellent, democratic traditions is that the audience votes for its favourite production of the programme, which, in turn, is invited to return to the festival the following year. I will not be surprised if the audience's choice from the 2025 showcase (which came to a close on Friday) is A Colónia (The Colony) by the innovative Portuguese theatremaker Marco Martins. Although this year's programme included esteemed work from France, Italy, Spain and Germany, this homegrown production (which was first performed last year, for the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese Revolution) has a number of features that set it apart. The piece, which is based upon an investigation by journalist Joana Pereira Bastos, draws on the testimonies of anti-fascist resistance fighters (mainly members of Portuguese Communist Party) who were imprisoned and tortured under the fascist dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar and his successor Marcello Caetano. It draws strongly, too, on the accounts of children of political prisoners who received some respite from their trauma and isolation at a children's summer camp known as The Colony. The fascist Estado Novo (New State) tyrannised over the Portuguese people from 1933 until it was overthrown by the Revolution of April 25, 1974. Martins's production – which was presented as part of Festival de Almada in the beautifully appointed theatre of Culturgest in the centre of Lisbon – combines testimony by survivors of the regime with scenes played by both professional actors and teenage theatre performers. The show opens with testimony by a very elderly couple – Conceição Matos and Domingos Abrantes – who survived lengthy periods of incarceration and unspeakable torture at the hands of the regime's reviled secret police, the PIDE. It includes, too, the accounts of people who attended The Colony in 1972 and '73, such as Manuela Canais Rocha and Humberto Candeias. Added to these firsthand testimonies are dramatised scenes based upon diaries and historical research. We hear the memories of children whose young lives were spent in such isolation and secrecy that they had no encounters with other kids. There are also harrowing accounts of torture and inspiring memories of prisoners' loved ones building bonfires on the beach outside the Paniche Prison so that the incarcerated resistance fighters could see that their families were there. Brought together with an often stirring and atmospheric score of live and recorded music and moments in which the young performers reflect on what the word 'freedom' means to them, Martins's work – which combines documentary theatre, verbatim theatre, dramatised memoir and devised performance – packs a powerful punch, in both political and emotional terms. In aesthetic terms, it isn't perfect by any means. At two hours and 15 minutes, it is too long by about half an hour. A lack of momentum and dramaturgical rigour means the piece doesn't always sustain the power of its subject as it should. THE young performers' early statements about personal and political liberty are the closest the production comes to an expression of any real kind of agency on the part of the kids themselves: for the most part, the youngsters are present on-stage, but without very much meaningful to do or say. These shortcomings aside, however, this ambitious theatre work stands as a memorable and emotive testament to the courage of those who resisted the fascist regime in Portugal. It stands, too, as a stark warning in a world where far-right forces (including the pernicious Chega in Portugal and the equally obnoxious Reform UK in the nations of the British state) are on the rise. Interestingly, a few nights earlier in the festival, the Nome Próprio company of Porto presented a dance work that also speaks to the very real threat to Portugal's democratic freedoms. Played in the outdoor theatre of the Escola D. António da Costa in Almada, the piece – which was created by choreographer Victor Hugo Pontes, and the title of which translates as Something Is About To Happen – is performed by a company of dancers who are entirely naked throughout. The work ranges from sections that seem to evoke the primordial and animal origins of humanity, to images of dystopia, and on to reflections on humanity's capacities for carnality and physical affection. The company is strong and boasts some really exceptional dancers. However, the choreography is frustratingly varied, in quality as well as style. Although the piece is only 70 minutes long, it has at least two false endings. Its ultimate conclusion – in which the entire company of dancers sings Queen's soft rock anthem I Want To Break Free – is neither subtle nor particularly affecting. Nevertheless, in the times in which we live, one finds oneself greatly encouraged to see such a bold expression of artistic and physical freedom. The Festival's extensive international programme included Marius by Compagnie Louis Brouillard from Paris. The play is adapted from Marcel Pagnol's 1929 drama, in which the titular Marius, who works in his father's café in Marseille, is torn between his love for his childhood friend Fanny and his desire to sail the seven seas. Relocated to the present day, director-adapter Joël Pommerat's production combines professional actors with former convicts he encountered while conducting theatre in prison projects. The outcome is a play that introduces elements of organised crime – and a degree of menace and foreboding – that distinguish the adaptation both from Pagnol's romantic stage drama and Alexander Korda's 1931 film version. Another international highlight was Teatro Delusio by acclaimed German mask theatre company Familie Flöz. Many Edinburgh Fringe-goers will have fond memories of the Berlin-based company, whose work is characterised by brilliant, hyper-real masks and wonderfully expressive physical performance. Teatro Delusio is a beautifully conceived drama set backstage in a theatre. Three astonishing performers play an extraordinary panoply of characters, ranging from a lovelorn stage manager to the gloriously self-regarding leading lady of an opera company. As ever with Familie Flöz, the piece overflows with theatrical ingenuity, slapstick humour and genuine pathos. Festival de Almada may be celebrating its 42nd edition, but it is still as fresh and vibrant as it was in 1984 when Joaquim Benite staged his first programme.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Metro Atlanta Catholic churches celebrate Pope Leo XIV's first Mass as new leader
Catholic churches across metro Atlanta had their first Sunday services since the election of the new pope. Channel 2's Bryan Mims was at Christ the King Cathedral, where worshippers are energized by their new leader. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] It was not just another Sunday at Christ the King Cathedral. It's Mother's Day, Good Shepherd Sunday, and it's the first Sunday since the Catholic church elected its new leader. That was on the minds of parishioners as they filed into Mass. Before the faithful gathered in Buckhead on Sunday, 100,000 of the faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. Pope Leo XIV stood before the multitudes for his first Regina Caeli message – that's Latin for 'queen of heaven.' He declared, 'Never again war!' 'That's what we all pray for, don't we?' John O'Brien, a Christ the King member, said. O'Brien appreciates that exhortation for world peace, and he's inspired by the pope's in-the-trenches service to people. TRENDING STORIES: Ground stop lifted at Atlanta airport due to 'runway equipment' outage, ground delay in place 1 dead after multi-vehicle crash on I-285 Search warrant at Atlanta home turns up cocaine, THC gummies, marijuana In his Sunday sermon, Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer of Christ the King acknowledged the pope's mission work in Peru, where he learned to pray in the Inca language. He said Pope Leo XIV has 'a pastor's heart.' 'The message is we have a new shepherd. Shepherd of the church and not only pray for him, but pray for more shepherds to rise up and help us with the ever-increasing flock in America,' O'Brien said. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Channel 2 Action News met Ucha Opara, a Christ the King member from Nigeria, a country that has known strife and bloodshed. He prays this new global shepherd can guide world leaders to put down their weapons. 'The war, crises (are) happening everywhere. We hope that stops. Christianity is known for peace, and we hope that he spreads that far and wide,' Opara said. Robert Francis Prevost is not just the first US-born pope, he also has creole roots in New Orleans, with grandparents described as Black or mulatto. Jackie Plaia says the pope can navigate a complex world. 'he seems like a real-world leader, and I love the fact that he speaks so many languages. He lived in Peru for so long, so he's worldly. I just think he'll be a really good leader to bring the world together.' Parishioners say the pope's diverse lineage is another attribute that makes him a unifying world leader.
Sunday World
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Rosie O'Donnell hilariously reveals how a woman took her in after getting lost in Dublin
SHOCK SAVIOUR | 'You know Rosie, I wouldn't open the door unless you were on The Late Late Show.' The Rosie O'Donnell Show star said the house owner didn't know her identity, but had recognised her from a recent appearance on The Late Late Show. Rosie was on her way to a podcast interview about her childhood trauma after the tragic loss of her mum when a taxi driver dropped her at the wrong address. When she knocked on the door, a lady in a bathrobe, just out of the shower, answered it. 'She said, 'You look familiar, where do I know you from?'' Rosie reveals. ''I'm an American actress.' 'You were on The Late Late Show, you've got an autistic child.' I said, 'Yes I was.' 'What's your name?' 'Rosie.' 'I'm Jennifer, come on in.'' Rosie with Venetia Quick Jennifer connected Rosie to her wifi and helped her contact radio presenter and podcaster Venetia Quick of The Grief Pod. Before leaving, Rosie advised Jennifer: ''Listen, I just want you to know you shouldn't do this again [let a stranger into her home]. In New York nobody would ever do this. 'She laughed, 'You know Rosie, I wouldn't open the door unless you were on The Late Late Show.' The US celebrity with Donegal ancestry who moved to Ireland after Donald Trump's election to a second term as president, later spoke with Venetia Quick about her Irish connections – and the untimely death of her mother when she was just 11. Rosie says: 'Mum died in 1973… she died on St Patrick's Day the 17th of March and was buried on my birthday, the 21st. 'She was on the parish council at Christ the King, our local Catholic church. A lot of people knew her and it was such a tragic story… a woman with five children at the age of 39 gets diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and when they opened her up they said there is nothing they can do. 'And so she died shortly thereafter. She went to the hospital and we would go to visit her there and it felt very scary and weird. 'She came home for a while, but right before she died she went back to the hospital and she had to have her friends help her to the car. I remember that and I remember thinking something bad is going to happen. 'And then I saw my dad in the playroom looking out the window and I just said, 'Is Mommy going to die?' And he turned so I couldn't look at any part of his face and put his nose to the corner of the room and said, 'We hope not, honey, we hope not.' 'The next thing everybody was at our house on the 17th, St Patrick's Day, and I remember waking up that morning and thinking, 'well nothing bad can happen today because today's lucky day for the Irish and we are 100 per cent Irish.'' However, Rosie soon learned the devastating news that her beloved mother had died. 'The days that followed after Mother's death were horrifying,' she says. Read more 'I felt like I would wake up at any moment and it was not going to be true. My little brother, Timmy, is five years younger than me and was born the day before me so it was his birthday as well. We both got a lot of gifts and it just felt so wrong. 'My little brother said, 'You have to be the mommy now.' I was the oldest girl, I got to be the mother, and that's what I ended up doing [in her adult life]… I adopted five children and had two foster kids.' Rosie revealed that her father's family were from Donegal, Tyrone and Belfast. Her grandfather was Irish-born but her father was born in America. 'After my mother died he took us back to Donegal and Tyrone and Belfast, where his family was raised,' she says. 'I still have cousins here in Belfast and in Ardglass [Co Down]. And we've been up there a bunch of times to stay with them. It's so lovely having family here and I remember we first met them in 1973, that summer right after my mother died.' Rosie on the Late Late with Patrick Kielty News in 90 seconds - 10th May 2025 Rosie, who has been a staunch critic of Donald Trump for decades, moved to Dublin in January. She says: 'When he got the nomination I said to my therapist, 'I can't survive another four years with him, I know I can't.' She said, 'What's the plan?' And I said I would move to Ireland, it's the only country I would move to, I have family there that we have kept in touch with and I know that I can get citizenship because of my grandparents.' And she said, 'Let's start to make that plan.' Rosie moved here with her 12-year-old non-binary child, Clay, because of the Trump administration's policies. 'I spoke to Clay and said that for trans people and trans kids and gay people it's [America] is not a safe place to be. And for women, they've taken away our rights that I remember fighting for in the early '70s.' Although she misses her family who still live in the US, O'Donnell says she has no regrets about leaving America. 'Clay is very happy here,' she says. 'Clay has autism and supports are being taken away in America.' Although Rosie's friends were surprised she left America for Ireland, she points out that she quit her TV show at the height of its success. 'I made crazy, insane money, the kind of money if you made it for one year you'd never have to work again… and I did it for six years,' she adds.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Very, very kind': St. Petersburg bishop remembers Pope Francis after his death
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Catholics in Tampa Bay woke up Monday to news that Pope Francis, 88, died just hours after a public appearance to celebrate the Easter holiday. Bishop Gregory Parkes with the Diocese of St. Petersburg joined WFLA News Now at 11 to respond to Pope Francis' death and discuss how it impacted local parishioners. Tributes from around the globe pour in for Pope Francis after his death 'To hear this morning that he passed away, it was a shock,' Parkes said, noting the Pope's health appeared to be improving after a recent lengthy hospitalization. Parkes said local churches, Christ the King in Tampa and the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Pete, would hold mass on Monday morning to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. Prior to the Pope's death, the bishop already planned a trip to the Vatican, which now falls during his funeral services. Parkes plans to attend his funeral mass. Parkes, who has met Pope Francis on three occasions, described him as 'a grandfatherly figure … Very, very kind. Very warm.' 'Something people may not realize is he had a very good sense of humor,' Parkes said. 'I'm 6-foot-8, very tall, and the Holy Father noted that and asked me if I played basketball.' Pope Francis' death leaves Catholics across the globe wondering what comes next. Parkes explained that Cardinals from around the world will gather in Rome to participate in a conclave to elect the next pope. 'We don't know when that's going to happen. A date for the Conclave hasn't been set yet, but it should be happening within the next couple of weeks,' Parkes said. When asked if the next Pope will follow in Francis' footsteps, Parkes said that since Pope Francis appointed the majority of the Cardinals during his lengthy pontificate, some believe that they will be inclined to continue to move the church in that direction. 'We also believe that this process is guided by God's will and by the Holy Spirit, so you have to leave room, that it could be someone who goes in a completely different direction,' Parkes said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
World-famous guitar collection on display Tuesday in Burlington
A legendary collection of guitars will be on display Tuesday at Christ the King School in Burlington. The Blue Guitar Collection honors famous guitar builder, Jimmy D'Aquisto, who died in April 1995 at age 59. D'Aquisto was a teenager when he started learning the art of building archtop guitars in the 1950s, when he became an apprentice to John D'Angelico, considered the grandfather of archtop guitar construction. Today, D'Aquito's deluxe models routinely sell for well over $100,000 and are coveted by collectors around the world. Watch: Christ the King music teacher Nick Verdirame plays the Benedetto La Cremona Azzura In 1995, one of those collectors, Scott Chinery, asked more than 20 respected luthiers to each build a guitar in tribute to D'Aquisto. The only rules: The guitar had to be an 18-inch archtop (hollow acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars that are favored by many jazz guitarists); and it had to be the exact shade of blue as D'Aquisto's Blue Centura Deluxe. At the time, Chinery, who died in 2000, said the goal was to bring the best guitar-builders together to interpret the same guitar. 'All of these great luthiers saw this as a friendly competition, and as a result they went beyond anything they'd ever done,' he said. 'We ended up with a collection of the greatest archtop guitars ever made.' The Blue Guitar Collection was displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History from November 1997 through October 1998. After Chinery's passing in 2000, the guitars were passed along to The Archtop Foundation, which as part of its mission, exhibits the collection at shows, museums, and schools. Tuesday's exhibit starts at 9 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
