'the display of great daring'
General Director Rodrigo BeilfussWe present intimate, minimalist and site specific productions of rarely produced classical and neo-classical texts, with a focus on Latinx and other under-represented voices.
Bravura Theatre delights in the transformative power of language through translations of international texts, and contemporary adaptations of old stories.
HISTORY: WHO ARE BRAVURA THEATRE AND WHAT IS OUR MISSION?
Bravura Theatre is a Winnipeg-based, artist-led theatrical company primarily focused on the exploration of the Classical repertoire, and its relevance/contextualization in a modern, multicultural Canada.
It is the dream-child of General Director Rodrigo Beilfuss, a Brazil-born Canadian actor who trained in England – a human mutt who believes in the transformative power of theatre.
In addition to the Classics (of which William Shakespeare often takes the spotlight), Bravura nurtures an interest in rarely staged European and Latin American authors.
Moreover, our productions are set in intimate spaces, and we relish language as the centre-piece of our approach to theatre. We aim to present plays that ring fresh and immediate to our audiences from the perspective of a “globalized” experience – through the works of translations, cultural adaptations and multilingual productions.
William Shakespeare, the ultimate “man of words”, wrote in a time of upheaval, civil and political unrest, and his plays reflect how hard, unbalanced and volatile life can be under those circumstances – as England first introduced itself as a global superpower.
Bravura Theatre believes that the world today, in all its glorious complexities and globalized agitations, can reflect and enhance the themes of Shakespeare’s plays in ways the Bard could never have anticipated.
We truly live in the Shakespearean golden age, and the opportunity to expand the potential of language-based theatre – in this cosmopolitan age of texts and tweets – is indeed very exciting, and urgent.
The word ‘bravura’ defines as “the display of great daring”; and with that grand ideal in mind, our inaugural production was a new, bold adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Spring of 2015 - in which the text didn't suffer too many cuts, and the cast featured fourteen unique, local Winnipeg talents. Bravura partnered up with SNAKESKIN JACKET in this endeavor, and the play was staged in their space, Studio 320/315 (a shared black-box theatre with Theatre Incarnate).
Furthermore, in addition to the original English text, we presented this Hamlet with sections of the play spoken in Portuguese, French, Korean and Italian; as well as other forms of linguistic expressions such as movement, music and dance.
Hamlet played a sold-out run, and the feedback and sheer enthusiasm from our audiences validated our firm belief that Classical theatre is indeed alive and well, and fresh in our fair city!
We believe Winnipeg has reached a new level of international awareness, and the city has become a new hot spot for young immigrants and entrepreneurial adventurers. Moreover, as a new administration settles in at City Hall, we can begin to feel a shift in the cultural consciousness of our community.
We are excited to be a part of that cultural revolution.
RB.
BRAVURA THEATRE ARE
Rodrigo Beilfuss - General Director
Dora Carroll - Associate Artistic Director
Ian Bastin - Associate Artist
Elizabeth Holl - Resident Designer
Follow Bravura Theatre on Twitter: @BravuraTheatre
Exciting Shakespearean projects in Brazil, homeland of General Director Rodrigo Beilfuss:
-"Projeto 39" - the staging of all of Shakespeare's plays by 2023: PROJETO 39
-The Globe Theatre gets its first international replica in Minas Gerais, to be built by 2016: The Globe in Brazil
-Formerly known as "Jogadores de Shakespeare" (JDS), Bravura Theatre began as a project tied to my studies at LAMDA, in 2013, as part of a program designed by the Deutsche Bank of Great Britain on business practices in the Arts. Here's the genesis of the idea: Jogadores de Shakespeare
-Moreover, Bravura Theatre is working in collaboration with Rick Alves's studio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in the spreading of the Shakespearean gospel in South America! Check them out here: Espaco Cenico