Limbo

About

His grandfathers are European and African, his great-grandparents were Portuguese jews, Indians and Chinese. Victor de Oliveira has a complex family history that makes him proud of his multiple identities; but it has not always been all that simple. Limbo is an “autofiction”, an intimate show that, through his author’s biography, touches on the themes of origin, slavery, colonialism and exile: often taboo matters in Portugal as in many other western democracies.

In an intense solo performance rooted in a mosaic of personal memories, interviews, readings and encounters, the director-actor questions the man in a kaleidoscope of references, the reasons for the denial of history, the disputes of collective memory, and the experience of growing up in uncertainty.

In 2022, Limbo was awarded two prestigious prizes that are annualy awarded by the Authors Portuguese Society (Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores) – the Best Performance and the Best Represented Portugese Text of 2022.

Victor de Oliveira

Victor de Oliveira is an actor and director born in Mozambique in 1971. He began his theatre career in Lisbon, later attending the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in Paris. After graduating, he worked in France, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and England. Parallel to his work as an actor and director, he is developing a training program for young actors, especially in the field of African dramaturgy. He teaches at the Institut d'études théâtrales of the Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle and at ERACM (École régionale d'acteurs de Cannes et Marseille).

Official photos: Joana Linda

Co-production: Teatro do Bairro Alto (Lisbon), Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes) with the support of: Roundabout.LX (Lisbon), Le CENTQUATRE-PARIS, La Colline – Théâtre National (Paris), Le Grand T – Théâtre de Loire-Atlantique (Nantes)

Thanks to: Catherine Blondeau, Edgar de Oliveira, Marta Angelozzi, Ana Maria Akau, Marisa Chinak, Bick Yuen Chinak, Joaquim Abreu, José Cam Fok, Vitor Vargilal, Francisco de Oliveira, Maria Virgínia Monteiro, Antonio de Almeida Mendes