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Wagner Moura embraces theater's interactive power
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Wagner Moura embraces theater's interactive power

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Actor Wagner Moura is embracing theater, particularly improvisation and audience interaction, in his latest European tour.
  • His current production, 'A Trial,' adapts Henrik Ibsen's 'An Enemy of the People' and places the audience in a position to decide the protagonist's fate.
  • Moura finds the interactive nature of theater compelling, contrasting it with film and highlighting its relevance to contemporary debates about truth.

Wagner Moura, acclaimed for his role in 'Narcos,' is currently immersed in the world of theater, finding particular passion in its capacity for audience participation and improvisation. This engagement comes after the success of his film 'The Secret Agent.'

I am passionate about Ibsen, and this text always interested me. It is also very current. The conflict over truth. We now live in a world where facts are shared by everyone, and each person in their little technological bubble recreates their own version of the truth.

— Wagner MouraExplaining his interest in adapting Ibsen's play and its relevance to contemporary issues of truth.

Moura discussed his enthusiasm for theater on Wednesday during the presentation of 'A Trial,' a production that closes the Grec Festival in Barcelona. The play, inspired by Henrik Ibsen's 1882 work 'An Enemy of the People,' is set in contemporary Brazil. It centers on Dr. Thomas Stockmann, who attempts to expose a water contamination scandal in his hometown but faces ostracism.

"I am passionate about Ibsen, and this text always interested me. It is also very current. The conflict over truth. We now live in a world where facts are shared by everyone, and each person in their little technological bubble recreates their own version of the truth," Moura explained. In this adaptation, the audience plays a crucial role, as they are tasked with deciding whether Stockmann is innocent or an "enemy of the people."

That's the beauty of doing theater and not a film. That the audience also participates.

— Wagner MouraDescribing his enjoyment of the interactive nature of theatrical performances.

Moura highlighted his enjoyment of the European tour, emphasizing the highly interactive nature of the play, which allows for significant improvisation. "That's the beauty of doing theater and not a film. That the audience also participates," he added. The production is structured as a trial, with eleven audience members, chosen from volunteers, serving as the jury on stage throughout the performance. They must collectively decide whether they stand with the protagonist. Moura noted that while verdicts vary, "there is never a unanimous verdict."

there is never a unanimous verdict.

— Wagner MouraCommenting on the varied outcomes of the audience jury's decisions in the play 'A Trial.'
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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