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Workshops
BoCA Summer School: The Broken Record
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Writing and performance workshop with Gabriel Abrantes
Small Description
Partnership and coproduction: BoCA - Biennial of Contemporary Arts
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Workshop "The Broken Record"
Workshop on writing and performance led by artist and filmmaker Gabriel Abrantes. This intensive workshop proposes a journey from writing to performance, centered on the construction of conflict scenes. Participants will write conflict scenes based on real-life situations, exploring dialogue, rhythm, and tension between two voices.
On the first day, the focus is on writing: small confrontations, fragments of arguments, moments of friction. On the second and third, texts are developed in pairs or trios through processes of reading, editing, and staging. From page to stage in three sessions, the workshop offers a space for experimentation where conflict does not necessarily resolve, but instead gains form, presence, and intensity.
Useful information
Dates:
- 23 July: 18.00–21.00
- 24 July: 14.00–18.00
- 25 July: 14.00–18.00
Target audience: Young People 16+ and adults. Intended for students and professionals in the fields of cinema, theatre and performance, creative writing, dramaturgy, directing and screenwriting, as well as participants interested in the proposed themes.
Language: Portuguese
Capacity: min. 5, máx. 21 participants
Location: MAAT Gallery
Meeting point: MAAT Gallery entrance hall
Prices:
- Regular addmission: € 60
- MAAT Friends, students and Fundação GDA (upon presentation of a valid card): € 30
Programme
Day 1 – Writing and Sharing
23 July, 18.00–21.00
Participants develop conflict scenes based on personal experiences. In the session, texts are shared with the group, creating a first moment of listening, discussion, and collective feedback.
Day 2 – Rehearsals and Group Rewriting
24 July, 14.00–18.00
The second day focuses on the practical experimentation of the texts. In groups of three (author and two performers), participants work on reading, staging, and rewriting the scenes, adjusting the text in dialogue with the actors. The focus is on exploring rhythm, voice, and presence.
Day 3 – Final Rehearsal and Presentation
25 July, 14.00–18.00
The final day is dedicated to consolidating the scenes through final rehearsals, culminating in a presentation for all participants. This moment functions as a sharing of the process, where the texts take on a performative form.
Partnership and coproduction: BoCA - Biennial of Contemporary Arts
Support: Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth and Sport / Directorate-General for the Arts, Lisbon City Council, GDA Foundation, Millennium bcp Foundation
Accordion
Gabriel Abrantes (b. 1984, North Carolina, USA) is an artist and filmmaker based in Lisbon. His practice spans digital performance, animation, digitally assisted painting, and cinema. He directed the feature films Diamantino (2018), winner of the Grand Prize at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, and Amelia’s Children (2023), distributed internationally. He was also the winner of the EDP Foundation New Artists Award 2009 with an installation project he created for the film Too Many Daddies, Mommies and Babies.
His work combines references to Hollywood aesthetics with humor, visual effects (VFX), slapstick, and the absurd, circulating between film festivals and contemporary art institutions. He has presented work in contexts such as the Official Selection at Cannes, the Berlinale, the Venice Biennale, and Locarno, where he received the Pardino d’Oro. His work has been exhibited at institutions such as MAAT, Tate Modern, Palais de Tokyo, and Serralves.