THE BOX WOMAN

The Box Woman -Kunhã Patuguá, is a theatrical play, which is completing 16 years of success in Brazil and abroad. It is the result of the research by the director and playwright Darci Figueiredo on street theatre, circus language, fine arts and the imaginary which involves the Brazilian popular culture, with emphasis on the Indian culture of the Amazon.

It has a universal theatrical language and relies on the interaction with the audience. It is performed in open or closed space, day or night ( in parks, courtyards, squares, events, clubs, pavements, schools, museum, galleries...)

The play is for people of all ages. The time of the performance is about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The performance is free to the public and doesn’t call for a stage, nor electric power or sound equipment. The team is made up of 4 people.

With a production by The Pinus Ploft Group, The Box Woman’s premiere was in São Paulo in 1994. It continues to be presented in Brazil until today.

It has also been performed in: San Francisco, USA; Tokyo, Oizumi and Fuji, in Japan; Helsinque, Finland and Grahamstown, South Africa, Vasteras, Estocolmo e Orebro-Suécia, Wellington, Auckland e Christchurch-New Zealand, Fortaleza, Ceará. The visual art of the play enchants by its exuberance. Recycled material is used and replaced periodically, as is the text.

Synopsis - Kunhã Patuguá is a legendary woman. She was discovered by a young Indian a thousand years ago, on the banks of the Black River in the Amazon. She appeared with a box instead of a head, lying on a moquentáua.

This aroused the curiosity of the forest‘s inhabitants. Animals, birds e Amazon myths wanted to know who was the kunhã with a karamemuã instead of a head. They formed a line and, one by one, put their head inside the hole of the karamemuã. A Monkey Guariba said that the name of the Patuguá, was a box, and from then on she was called The Box Woman, the Cunhã-patuguá. Since then she walks around the world deciphering enigmas for those who see her face and hear her voice. Her head is eternally covered and, to see her face and hear her voice, one should stick his head inside the box.

As The Box Woman performs, each person around her, one by one, puts their head inside the box and is face to face with the woman of a thousand years. Two of the other characters, the Herald and the Conductor, guide the public, playing percussions and telling the story of The Box Woman; they dance, sing and talk about the rain forest.

Some words in Nheengatu and Tupi languages are used, and these words are not translated, enriching the play. The usage of the Tupi and the Nheengatu keeps the brazilian language alive and adds poetry, interaction and musicality to the play.