Cabral do Nascimento - My Grandfather

Não é impunemente que me dás, Senhor,
O poder de criar.
Do menos farei mais, do nada farei tudo,
E de uma gota de água, o mar [...]
Cabral do Nascimento, "Romance", Cancioneiro, p. 38

It is not with impunity that you give me, Lord,
The power to create.
From less I will do more, from nothing I will do everything,
And from a drop of water, the sea [...]
Cabral do Nascimento, "Romance", Cancioneiro, p. 38

O Meu Avô is the title of a show about the life and work of Cabral do Nascimento, a Madeiran poet from the “Presença” and “Orpheu” generation, a follower of Symbolism and Modernism, but rightly classified as “inadjectivable” by Fernando Pessoa (quoted by Vasco Graça Moura in his preface to Cabral do Nascimento's Obra Poética, 2003, Porto, Edições Asa). The purpose of the show is to tell the life of Cabral do Nascimento from the affective and family point of view of his grandson, Filipe Crawford, mixing memories of childhood and adolescence, in which he lived with his grandfather, with data from his biography and with poetic excerpts from his work. This journey into childhood points to a moral portrait of the poet's integrity and to a philosophy of life and existence, reflecting on the human being through his poetry.

It is, therefore, an unprecedented creation that will pay homage to, and publicize, this Madeiran poet, who will be, in 2023, 45 years since he left us and whose memory we want to remember. Cabral do Nascimento was married to Maria Franco, niece of Henrique and Francisco Franco, a fact that we cannot fail to mention, also paying homage to these Madeiran artists.

The collection of poems and texts that make up the play is the responsibility of Filipe Crawford, who is also the director and only actor in this show and is inspired by various contributions to the understanding of the life and work of Cabral do Nascimento, among them the study “Writing the world behind a monocle and from a lighthouse” by Ana Salgueiro and Paulo Miguel Rodrigues, published by the Academic Press in 2015. Another important contribution is the study by Maria Mónica Teixeira – Cabral do Nascimento “The Word da Confidência e a Herança do Symbolismo Francesa”, edited by DRAC, Funchal in 1997, as well as its compilation of the poetic Work of Cabral do Nascimento, prefaced by Vasco Graça Moura and edited by ASA in 2003. – Cabral do Nascimento Tradutor, by Vanessa Castagna, published by Princípia Editora in 2009, is an important contribution to the creation of this show.

The show is accompanied by multimedia projections of photographs and video, collecting various documents that help to understand the poet and his life and that contribute to the composition and scenographic framing. The scenographic notes and the image of the show have the collaboration of Maria Teresa Crawford Cabral, plastic artist, sister of Filipe Crawford and granddaughter of Cabral do Nascimento. Video editing and technical supervision are the responsibility of João Crawford, son of Filipe Crawford and great-grandson of Cabral do Nascimento. This conjunction of efforts and inspirations makes this show a true tribute from family and friends and a contribution to the national recognition of this poet from Madeira.


ARTIST SHEET:
Authorship – Filipe Crawford (from the collection of texts from the poetic work of Cabral do Nascimento and contributions to the understanding of his work and life)

Staging and Interpretation – Filipe Crawford

Dramaturgical support – Ana Salgueiro

Graphic Image – Maria Teresa Crawford Cabral

Staging assistance and technical supervision – João Crawford

Design and video montage – Martim Cruz

Rating: M/12, Duration: 80 m

Thanks: Mónica Teixeira, Paulo Miguel Rodrigues, Vanessa Castanho, Bárbara Crawford, Museu Henrique and Francisco Franco.

Institutional credits, sponsorships and Logos (DGartes, Ministry of Culture, Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias, CM Funchal,)

Premiered at Teatro Baltazar Dias in Funchal on April 22, 2022.

Available for roaming.