As a result of two years of Royal Court project in Brazil, Teatro Popular do SESI in São Paulo stages two full productions of the plays "Almost Nothing" by Brazilian author Marcos Barbosa and "Far Away" by British author Caryl Churchill.
Marcos Barbosa first became involved with the Royal Court in April 2001 when he took part in a new writing workshop in São Paulo in association with the British Council. In March 2002 his short play “Almost There” was produced as part of the Royal Court’s biennial International Season. Following this he was invited to London in July 2002 on a British Council scholarship to attend the Royal Court International Residency. He worked at the Royal Court for four weeks developing his play “Almost Nothing”. He was invited back to the Royal Court in January 2003 as part of the Royal Court’s Focus on Brazil. “Almost Nothing” was given a staged reading, in a translation by Mark O’Thomas, with four other new plays from Brazil.
Caryl Churchill’s work has been associated with the Royal Court for four decades. She received her first professional stage production at the Royal Court with the play "Owners" in 1972. She was resident dramatist at the theatre from 1974-75 and has been involved in many Royal Court projects since that time. For the Royal Court her plays include: "Owners", "Light Shining in Buckinghamshire", "Cloud Nine", "Top Girls", "Fen" (Joint Stock), "Serious Money", "Ice Cream", "A Mouthful of Birds" (co-author), "Mad Forest" (Central School of Speech and Drama), "Thyestes" (translation from Seneca), "This is a Chair", "Blue Heart" (Out of Joint), "Far Away" and "A Number".
"Almost Nothing", according to the author, regards to the growing individualism in the big cities and, literally, the lack of care for other people's lives. "Far Away", on the other hand, tackles the segregation of human beings in ghettos as if we were different animals and not part of the same human kind.
Both "Far Away" and "Almost Nothing" are directed by Roberto Lage and the cast includes actress Imara Reis and Daniela Carmona and actors Mario Condor and Ricardo Homuth. The two plays are presented during the same session, one just after the other, without a break and they last 1h30 in total. They are free and tickets are distributed 30 minutes before the starting time (21h).
