Audio Transcribed

Hey everyone, Hilton Cobra here, talking about the process of Carvass from Emas, written by Luiz Marfuz, who also wrote Traga-Me a Cabeça de Lima Barreto, directed by Onisajé—who was also the director of Traga-Me A Cabeça de Lima Barreto. I like to keep a team together across multiple projects. 

Alright then. As an actor, as an artist, I really, really, really want to discuss this theme in a museum space. This play, this monologue, this character exists on the streets, at a crossroads, watching birds—when he’s approached by the police and beaten, as always, as we all know. This character, who manages to survive, will now address racial issues, drawing from many aspects of Eurocentric cultural traditions—particularly art. Art is fundamental. And the entire space, the entire visual concept, the entire costume design is rooted in contemporary African heritage. I wanted to create this dialogue between these two artistic traditions—African and Eurocentric. 

Performance will play a crucial role. Only micro-scenes. And I really want to approach each micro-scene with a distinct interpretation, a different physicality, a different voice. Let’s see if we can make it happen. We’ll start working on this in August, and of course, this conversation here is really important to me. 

I also want to say this: even though this is a Brazilian character, I am deeply, deeply fascinated by Basquiat. I really want to study Basquiat, just as I want to study Baldwin. I think I’m definitely going to take advantage of this time—while acting, while in this process—to draw inspiration from these two figures, these two incredible men of contemporary Black art, to nourish myself and develop this work. 

Sending love to you all! 

Bio:

Actor and founder of Cia dos Comuns. He has performed in productions directed by Nehle Franke, Márcio Meirelles, Ulisses Cruz, Werner Herzog, and Luiz Marfuz. On television, he has appeared in Chico Anysio, O Sorriso do Lagarto, Perigosas Peruas, Os Trapalhões, O Poder da Arte da Palavra, O Rei do Gado, Vila Madalena, Zorra Total, and O Compadre de Ogum. As an actor in audiovisual productions, he participated in the music video "Bluesman" by rapper Baco Exu do Blues, which won the Grand Prix in the Entertainment for Music category at the Cannes Lions festival, the highest award at one of the most prestigious advertising events in the world. He has also acted in the Netflix series "Fim de Comédia", directed by Jessica Queiroz, the Amazon series "Amar é para os Fortes", directed by Katia Lung and Yasmin Thayná, the Globoplay series "Vicky e a Musa", directed by Marcos Figueiredo, and the films "Medida Provisória", directed by Lázaro Ramos, and "A Matriarca", directed by Lula Oliveira. In theater and cinema, he has received awards and nominations, including Best Actor at the Brasília National Film Festival (2008) for his role in Cães and Best Actor at the 9th Olhares da Cena Award (2018) in Porto Alegre. He was also recognized as one of the Top 10 Actors of the Year by the Blog do Arcanjo (2018) in São Paulo for his performance in the monologue "Traga-me a Cabeça de Lima Barreto!". At Cia dos Comuns, he produced the plays A Roda do Mundo, Bakulo – Os Bem-Lembrados, Candaces – A Reconstrução do Fogo and produced and directed Silêncio. He conceived and organized the Olanadé – The Brazilian Black Scene showcase and the National Black Performance Forum. As a public administrator, he served as director of the Centro Cultural José Bonifácio and president of the Palmares Foundation/MINC.