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In the 1970s, at the height of the discothèque, the hearts of Latin and African-American immigrants, whole or broken, pulsed in a looping hope for a happy ending. (They died sad.)

Copacabana. We are at war.
Miss Universe takes refuge in a bunker that was, at the height of Brazilian fascism, a disco frequented by her uncle.

Combining materials from the archive of Bragà’s uncle Ricardo Wagner, with fiction, and inspired by Richard Wagner’s concept of the total artwork (Gesamtkunstwerk), We at the nightclub suffer together is a hyperpop opera where the bunker transforms into a magical portal. The work engages homoerotic themes through a transfeminist lens – a spiritual and operatic gesture that embraces collective suffering and offers a glimpse of a beautiful future ahead.

Public Program

14 - 15 November
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Credits

Libretto, Composition, Direction and Choreography
Diego Braga

Performed by
Didirella, Paulo Pascoal, Eric Meireles, João Villas-Boas

Music Production
Diana XL, Pedro Joaquim Borges

Soundscape
Nico Espinoza

Assistant Director
Mariana Guarda

Lighting Design
Rui Monteiro

Light Operation and Assistance
Zeca Iglésias

Set Design
ROD

Painting & Props
Martîm

Costume Design
Carlota Lagido

Video for stage and teasers
Heverton Harieno

Short Op-Docs/NYT
Diego Bragà

Choreographic Support
Tânia Carvalho

Choreography “Sereinhos”
João Villas-Boas

Voodoo, Kuduro and Coupé Décalé Laboratory
Inés Sybille Vooduness

Funk Laboratory
Kai Gomes

Opera Consultant
Alexandra Lacroix

Technical Director
Ana Carocinho

Produced by
Alkantara (Lysandra Domingues)

Residencies and Support
TalentLAB / Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre (Brussels),OPART, E.P.E. / Estúdios Victor Córdon, CAMPUS / Rivoli, Festival END and Teatro Oficina Writing Grant

Coproduced by
Alkantara and africologneFESTIVAL, within the framework of Common Stories, a Creative Europe programme funded by the European Union

Creation Grant
O Espaço do Tempo, with the support of BPI and the ”la Caixa” Foundation

© João Mendes

Diego Bragà / DIDIRELLA (Belo Horizonte) is a transfeminine artist whose work moves between queer operas, visceral films, and the invention of beautiful collective futures ahead. A fan of Lygia Clark, Marta Neves, Yoko Ono, and Paula Rego. She graduated from the London International School of Performing Arts. She has received several awards, including the Cultura Award from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. Her aesthetic language intertwines ancestral archive, homemade carnival, melodrama, and travesty joy.

Diego Bragà (BR)

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