Pessoa - Since I’ve been me

Born at the Pergola Theatre, Robert Wilson's new play is inspired by Fernando Pessoa, the enigmatic Portuguese poet of many heteronyms.

The play on texts by Pessoa, with direction, sets and lighting by Robert Wilson, dramaturgy by Darryl Pinckney, costumes by Jacques Reynaud, and co-direction by Charles Chemin, is brought to the stage by Maria de Medeiros, Aline Belibi, Rodrigo Ferreira, Klaus Martini, Sofia Menci, Gianfranco Poddighe, and Janaína Suaudeau, who bring to life PESSOA - Since I've been me in Italian, Portuguese, French, and English (with Italian surtitles). 

 Commissioned and produced by Teatro della Pergola in Florence and Théâtre de la Ville in Paris under the joint project L'Attrice e l'Attore Europei. Co-produced by Teatro Stabile del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Teatro Stabile di Bolzano, São Luiz Teatro Municipal de Lisboa, Festival d'Automne à Paris in collaboration with Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

“The idea that it is an international production, that there are actors from different countries, with different cultural backgrounds, and that it is a play in different languages,” says Robert Wilson, ”seems right for Pessoa. Pessoa was a man made up of many different “people,” he was a Portuguese man who grew up in South Africa. Like all of us,” the director adds, ‘he was full of many ’characters. So one way to approach this work is to try to figure out how to deal with this prism of personalities. In my head there is really a prism with all the different personalities, the different aspects of Pessoa.”

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ROBERT WILSON
PESSOA
Since I’ve been me
direction, set and light design Robert Wilson
texts Fernando Pessoa
with Maria de Medeiros, Aline Belibi, Rodrigo Ferreira, Klaus Martini, Sofia Menci, Gianfranco Poddighe, Janaína Suaudeau
drama Darryl Pinckney
costums design Jacques Reynaud
co-directionCharles Chemin
set design assistant Annick Lavallée-Benny
light design assistant Marcello Lumaca
sound design Nick Sagar
make up Véronique Pfluger
stage manager Thaiz Bozano
technical director Enrico Maso
costume assistant Flavia Ruggeri
literary consultant  Bernardo Haumont
commissioned and produced by Teatro della Pergola - Firenze and Théâtre de la Ville - Paris
coproduced by Teatro Stabile del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Teatro Stabile di Bolzano, São Luiz Teatro Municipal de Lisboa, Festival d’Automne à Paris in collaboration with Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg

Performance in Italian, Portuguese, French, and English (with Italian surtitles). 

Duration: 80 minutes, one-act play