Dura Dita Dura

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the dictatorship in Portugal, and the Festival de Otoño is taking advantage of the occasion to present a show for all audiences that evokes the dark period in the neighbouring country through puppet theatre. The show recreates the atmosphere of terror that reigned for half a century. This celebration contrasts with the countless reports and broadcasts that have been published and aired, in which the emphasis has been placed on the end of a period, looking to the future but not to the past that has been left behind, as if to erase that ominous time from memory and leave behind the images of joy and hope that opened in April 1974.

Dura Dita Dura represents the antithesis of the jubilant celebration immortalised in history books and etched into the memories of those who lived through those years. The puppet and object theatre company Teatro de Ferro was established in 1999 by Carla Veloso and Igor Gandra. The company's name, Teatro de Ferro [Iron Theatre in English], reflects a moral stance of resistance, while also indicating a capacity for adaptation and evolution.

In 2009, 35 years after the end of the dictatorship, the company released Dura Dita Dura. The story is presented as a fairy tale, beginning with the words, "Once upon a time there was a boy who lived in a small country bordered by a vast ocean. It was said that from that country men of great stature – and men of all sizes – had set sail in search of other countries and other peoples.” The story of Balthazar, a boy who does not speak but listens, is also told. He lives in a modest, secluded but secure and self-regulating community. Neighbours themselves monitor each other's activities, subjecting themselves to a high level of scrutiny that restricts their autonomy.

In a 'colourless garden', a scenic metaphor for a dark past, a multitude of small human figures emerge on stage. Puppetry is combined with text and music to create this fabulous recreation of Portugal's past. It is presented in a language that is accessible to all ages. As puppeteer Igor Gandra says, Dura Dita Dura is a show ‘to see, hear, think and speak’.