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Black Collective

Directed by Jé Oliveira

Videography: bianca turner

MAR 2025

the show Father vs. Mother or Are You Listening to Me?, is a free adaptation of the story Father vs Mother, by Machado de Assis. Under the direction and dramaturgy of Jé Oliveira, the play reflects on the permanence of structural violence inherited from the slavery period and its reverberations in today's society.

In Machado's work, the story of Candinho, a man who needs to capture a runaway enslaved woman in order to survive, exposes the cruelty of a system that places the most vulnerable in a situation of confrontation. In the theatrical version by Coletivo Negro, this conflict is transported to the present and reformulated with a new perspective: Zaíra da Conceição, a black and pregnant woman, is unjustly accused of stealing from a supermarket, while Osvaldo, also black, recently hired as a security guard, must decide between protecting his job or questioning the violence that is affecting him.

“The production puts Machado de Assis’ reflections into dialogue with thinkers such as Achille Mbembe, who analyzes the commodification of the black body. The story, written in the 19th century, becomes a mirror of contemporary challenges,” explains Jé Oliveira.

The play redefines epic theater by integrating music and stage, enhancing the impact of the narrative. The cast, formed by Aysha Nascimento, Flávio Rodrigues and Raphael Garcia, is accompanied by a live band, creating a sound environment that directly dialogues with the actions on stage.