DUPLA is a theatre show taking advantage of motion to create distinctive moments where videos help intensify the scene, create an atmospheric scenario, or play as an intro and outro of the show.
DUPLA, based on“Ma Double Vie” (autobiography by Sarah Bernhardt), is a head-on collision between two seemingly irreconcilable personalities: that of the experienced actress, who knows theatre very well, and that of the playwright/director/creator, who knows very little about theatre. But the stage is also a fertile incubator for these comically impossible situations, because in life, in addition to the two normally mentioned – death and taxes – a third fatality must be added: the opening date. This will have to open, no matter what. And this duo will have to make do.
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I was invited to be part of this theatre show’s team as a designer and motion artist, to create a series of motion pieces that would be used during the show, with different approaches and goals: to open the show after its first scene, playing as a title sequence; to intensify certain lines of the play; to help conceive a more visual and atmospheric scene transition; to build an abstract and minimalistic, but impactful, set design; and to led the audience as we close the curtains for the final act.
One of the main requirements for the videos would be to make them stand out in specific moments of the show without fully taking the attention of the actors. This led us to opt for a black and white style and the strict use of only typography. It was possible to visually create compositions either very concrete, almost working as stylized subtitles, or more abstract, interacting with the actors and the stage as an intangible scenario.
You can see how these motion pieces look projected on stage, and as the original render.
Credits
Year ➝ 2025
Client ➝ Ensemble – Sociedade de Actores
Dramaturgy & Direction ➝ Pedro Galiza
Dramaturgy & Direction Assistant ➝ Marta Bernardes
Set Design ➝ Nuno Leites, Pedro Galiza
Video (On Stage) ➝ Nuno Leites
Music ➝ Sofia Faria Fernandes
Sound Design ➝ Ricardo Pinto
Lighting Design ➝ Tiago Silva
Costume Design ➝ Cátia Barros
Performers ➝ Emília Silvestre, Pedro Galiza
Video of the show recorded by Coalblur
Premiere: June 6, 2025 @ Casa das Artes de Famalicão (Portugal)