Theatre, city and participation: between memory and becoming

Abstract

The chapter is part of the research project Performance, Heritage, and Community, in the Theatre and Performance Studies Group of the Centre for History of Art and Artistic Research (CHAIA),39 University of Évora. It has three central areas of analysis: City; Performative Art Practices; and Heritage. This scientific and artistic research unit, which brings together researchers from multiple areas – from architecture to archaeology, from art history to heritage studies, passing through the various artistic areas – defines its main objectives in a transversal way, through the implementation of an approach projected on the transdisciplinary concept of critical heritage, which considers its re-signification in the present through contemporary artistic practices. Resulting from this, the reflection presented here is concerned with the analysis of artistic actions that are developed in a heritage context in the city of Évora. It involves circular processes of research, creation, and teaching that promote the integration of researchers, students, and the community in the conception, co-creation, and realization of site-specific theatrical actions. In addition, this research benefits from post-graduate research in Performing Arts, which aims to identify, promote, and systematize artistic creation methodologies, which enhance the production of performances in heritage spaces, in a dialogical relationship with the communities and the diverse groups present in the territory.