By Shirley Farmer 
“I’m going for a full stomach, in the sense that I have artists, companies that I think, as freely as possible, have accomplished the stage and artistic creativity they wanted to do, with a team that has an unyielding level of commitment, dedication and great love for the stage and that has always trusted me so much.”
A point that represents a “moment of hope”, not least that it will start a “new moment elsewhere”, equating this stage with the “end of the show” when “there are still artists and spectators and applause, but the artistic team is already preparing to dismantle this show and put it on the next show.”
However, Tiago Rodríguez admitted that as to what “systemic impact” the National Theater could have, there are questions that, if raised in January 2015, when he took up his first term, he thought they would already be if disbanded, he would have answered that he would like to be “more developed”.
These issues, being “bypassed”, mean that co-production in Portugal is still a “painful” situation.
For example, the following director of the French Avignon Festival stated that he would like the Théâtre de Maria II Nationale to choose to present shows with “longer careers” and not “to be forced to give a lot of shows, with so many artists”, because there are “few theaters in Portugal” She accompanies artists, co-produces, and invests.”
He stressed that “there are few theaters in Portugal that adhere to artists before creating a work” and that “take a risk with the artists”.
“Most theaters in Portugal see the work and then say yes or no,” he lamented.
For this reason, co-production has always been a constant in D.”.
Thiago Rodriguez said that if there were more theaters with this perspective, Di Maria II “could have entered a stage where she put on fewer shows, with much more resources and would have been on stage much longer.”
However, there is a “problem on the Portuguese stage, which must be admitted, that large enterprises like D. are borne by the suffocation by independent companies” and today “a large and recognized company cannot produce a medium-sized production if it does not have a large investment of At least one or two big theaters.”
For this reason, Tiago Rodriguez admits that he would like to have a D. if they were employed by the National Theater.”
“It seems to me that we are an example in terms of the quality of remuneration for the performers, technicians, and creators of the National Theatre,” but there is a gap between the remuneration paid to an actor hired by Dr. Maria II and between that who receives an actor hired by another company that he co-produced.
“I believed in January 2015” about the impact that the National Theater could have, added Tiago Rodriguez, as it fertilizes those around it, considering what happened, for example, at the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic “a disgrace”. . , with establishments canceling shows without paying at all “nothing or much less than permitted by law.”
What did not happen with dr. Maria II, “who always undertook to pay in full, even when the creations were not presented, both to technicians and artists, independent companies, as well as, obviously, to his permanent staff.”
Regarding co-productions in Portugal, Thiago Rodriguez believes, however, that the Portuguese theaters and the Cineteatros Network (RTCP) – which will start with at least 50 accredited cultural facilities, will be able to apply for programming support from October, as recently announced by the Directorate Public Arts – can “already at this first stage, contribute strongly” to alleviating the problems.
“So this network is working on co-production, not just for distribution, not just for distribution, but also for taking risks with artists” and “supporting independent artists,” as the throttling of independent companies and independent theaters lingers, .
Nearly seven years after being appointed to this position – a place of “guest or tenant, never owner” – Tiago Rodriguez is a perennial: “Three years of deputation in front of a house like D. Maria II is not enough” to understand and learn all the dimensions that the job entails .
Read also: 25 Debuts In The Final Season Of Thiago Rodriguez In Di Maria II
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