Lúmen​

The Lumen project is S.A.Marionetas - Teatro & Bonecos' latest puppet theater production. It is a production with large scale puppets that involves local populations and musical institutions. From this union of efforts, a show was born with about 60 participants lighting up the night through a musical and movement narrative in which all who attend participate. The greatness of the characters, with 5 meters of height, that walk near the built heritage telling stories that are confused with the local ones. It is intended to highlight the greatness of man and his history through the monumentality of his creations that stone on stone created a heritage to be preserved by the people of today and tomorrow.

Man has always felt a great need to erect buildings symbolizing his greatness or that of his beliefs. This need to assert himself led him to seek knowledge by developing his intellect and performing works of universal beauty. Let us now imagine that in a parallel reality there is a world with desires identical to ours, where knowledge and wisdom are also adored.

Coming from remote lands, the bearers of knowledge and light go a long way to deposit their knowledge in the sacred place. Along the way they spread the good news to all who want to accompany them on this journey, where the union of light will give birth to wisdom and pure light to illuminate and guide the most daring.

At the beginning, a being alone and dying wanders in search of light. This search has a new awakening with the arrival of the bearers of knowledge and light that also leads them to create buildings for collective veneration. From the union of light, wisdom is born in the form of being feminine, symbol of the birth of purity and love. With this new presence, life has more joy and spirit, creating a feeling of more light and hope celebrating its greatness dancing. The discovery of passion invades the beings of light and from this union wisdom is spread throughout everyone in contagious joy. The bearers of knowledge and light let themselves be carried away by the wave of happiness dancing and whirling.

But from this ecstasy of emotions, sucked in by all, mother light ends up fading away from everything and from everyone softly fading. Then quickly everyone realizes that without it life is not so bright and they rush to comfort it, being reborn again this time in unparalleled happiness, where in harmony love spreads like pollen in a field of flowers. Leaving in the end to future generations the responsibility to keep the light alive, preserving it and transmitting the meaning of its patrimonial greatness.

Credits

Original: José Gil, Sofia Olivença Vinagre and Natacha Costa Pereira

Puppet Design: Natacha Costa Pereira

Original music: Mário Marques

Costumes: Sofia Olivenza Vinegar

Puppet Construction: José Gil, Natacha Costa Pereira, Sofia Olivença Vinagre, Luís Gil, Silvina Freitas

Puppet Mechanisms: José Gil, Natacha Costa Pereira, Luís Gil

Scenic Structures: Bugalho - atelier de irros

Puppet lighting and electronics: Pedro Cardoso

Video mapping: Olho de Boi - video production

Photography: Márcia Bellotti and Luíza Porto

Sound and light systems: Óbidos audiovisual productions

Project coordination: Sofia Olivenza Vinegar

Production: Alcobaça City Council, Central Portugal Tourism, S.A.Marionetas - Teatro & Bonecos

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Duration: 1 hour = 30 minutes procession + 30 minutes show​