original title: DUAS METADES

In July 2006, Patrícia Portela and Tiago Rodrigues were two of the eleven portuguese authors that participated in the second edition of the project “Urgências” (Urgencies), at Teatro Maria Matos, in Lisbon. Each one wrote a short play that was a response to the question that was launched by the project: “What do you have so urgent to say?”. Following this project, Culturgest and O Espaço do Tempo defy both authors to write a longer piece, with the same artistic team. Patrícia Portela and Tiago Rodrigues wrote two different stories. “Two halves” is one show comprising two separate plays: Babbot and Lovers Choir. The result of this project is an intimate and commotional performance, conjugated with simplicity where the essential is the act of telling the story to an audience. In this case, two stories, two halves.

Patrícia Portela’s “Babbot” tell the fantastic and strange story of a man that is always changing things of its natural place. While he’s travelling, Babbot takes a bit of earth in his pocket and replaces it for earth of the next place where he’ll stop, on a never-ending trip in time and space. Tiago Rodrigues’ “Chorus of lovers” is a lyrical tale of two lovers facing a life and death struggle against time and the oxygen that’s running out. Two actors/lovers tell us slightly different versions of a same story simultaneously, celebrating love when all is at stake but not knowing how to deal with normality.

texts by Patrícia Portela (Babbot) and Tiago Rodrigues (Chorus of Lovers) performed by Tiago Rodrigues (Babbot) and Cláudia Gaiolas, Tónan Quito (Chorus of Lovers) set, lighting design and video Thomas Walgrave producer and photographer Magda Bizarro co-production Culturgest (PT), O Espaço do Tempo (PT) and Artemrede (PT)

AVAILABLE FOR TOURING 2009/2011

Originally created in Portuguese but also available to be presented spoken in French and English.

This performance premiered in February 2007, at Culturgest, in Lisbon, after a public reading presented in January of the same year at Espaço do Tempo, Montemor-o-Novo. It toured Alcobaça (Cineteatro), Santarém (Teatro Sá da Bandeira), Abrantes (Cineteatro S.Pedro), Sobral de Monte Agraço (Cineteatro) and Cartaxo (Teatro Municipal).