An Enemy of the People
Marco Martins
In December 2024, while Marco Martins was considering adapting Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, focusing on the conflict between the individual and the collective, the PSP carried out a controversial police operation on Rua do Benformoso in Lisbon. Around 60 immigrants, mainly from Bangladesh, were forced to stand against a wall with their hands on their heads for two hours. Images of the episode, captured by residents, went viral and sparked public debate about the legitimacy of the action and the exposure of people with no criminal record. This case became symbolic of the way immigration has been treated in Europe: the target of manipulative political discourse, both from the far right and the media. The play, proposed by Marco Martins — the result of an invitation from Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture, with the co-production and collaboration of Centro Cultural de Belém, Teatro Municipal do Porto, and Théâtre de Liège — will be based on the testimonies and biographies of these people, who are now involved in the cast.
With journalistic research by Joana Pereira Bastos and Raquel Moleiro, and support from community leader Rana Uddin, the project proposes a critical reflection on the political use of the image of immigrants and the absence of their voice in the public sphere.
The show will be performed in Portuguese, English, Bengali, and other languages, with Portuguese subtitles.
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On the afternoon of 13 December, the director joins the conversation with Gisela Casimiro as part of the Contexto cycle.
Credits:
By Marco Martins
Direction and dramaturgy Marco Martins
Text by Marco Martins, based on testimonies from the entire cast and on research by Joana Pereira Bastos and Raquel Moleiro and on works by Henrik Ibsen, Thomas Ostermeier, Florian Borchmeyer, Elias Canetti, Georges Didi-Huberman, Roger Caillois, Hannah Arendt, Cesare Pavese, Hein De Haas, Claire Touzard, Adília Lopes, Robert Peckham, Marguerite Duras and Pier Paolo Pasolini
With Amin Nurul, Dil Bahadur Ale, Janit Fernandes, Kamal Chowdhury, Kamal Sarder, Niraj Khadka, Rajib Al Mamun, Sabera Parvin, Sharker Nasrin, Shohel Rana and Rita Cabaço and Rodrigo Tomás
Vocal composition and choir with the cast Rabih Beaini
Original music and sound composition by Rabih Beaini
Original music by João Pimenta Gomes
Assistant directing and dramaturgy support Rita Quelhas
Assistant directing support Alexandra Petrovskaya
Lighting design Nuno Meira
Set design Isabel Cordovil and João Romão (xxxi.studio)
Set construction Artworks
Sound design Vitor Santos
Technical direction Pedro Moreira
Movement Lua Carreira, Maria Fonseca
Movement workshop Hugo Marmelada
Sound workshop João Pimenta Gomes
Text workshop Matilde C.
Interview transcription Gabriela Dias
Cast research José Pires
Photography André Príncipe and Beatriz Banha
Publication texts Bárbara Reis, Joana Pereira Bastos, Marco Martins, Matilde C. and Raquel Moleiro
Publication design Atelier Pedro Falcão
Translation Joana Frazão
Arena administration Marta Delgado Martins
Production management and direction Sérgio Azevedo
Executive production Hugo Alves Caroça
This production was developed with the support of Prospero New Platform co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Main co-production CCB
Co-production Teatro Municipal Do Porto, Theatro Circo / Braga 25 – Portuguese Capital of Culture, Théâtre De Liège – Théâtre D’Europe
Support Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth, and Sports | DGartes – Directorate-General for the Arts, Goethe-Institut Portugal, Artworks and PreZero
Acknowledgements Aditya Saxena, Abdul Wahid Khalizad, Ashraf Emdi Uddin, Fahima Begum, Farhana Akter, Farid Ahmed Patwari, Francisca Neves, Komal Shahazdi, Mazumder Mohamed, Mizan Mizan, Mohamed Fakhrul, Nelson Gomes (Filho Único), Pemba Sherpa, Rasel, Renovar A Mouraria, Sabee Shrestha, Sandip Busal, Saurav Baishnab, Zakiur Rahman, Fundação Arpad Szenes-Vieira Da Silva, Museu Nacional Do Teatro E Da Dança
Media partner Antena 1
Accessibility
The show will have Portuguese subtitles in both sessions.
The session on December 14 will have audio description.
Other events
An Enemy of the People
Marco Martins
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