Once Polichinelo
From the point of view of a mascareiro, the character Polichinelo is approached. On a table are seven masks made by him, on an axis that goes back to the ancient Roman theater, passes through the famous apparitions of the 16th and 17th centuries, at the height of the Commedia dell’Arte, continues with Pagliaccio through the 19th century and leads to the daily possibility of a democracy liberal. A syncretic show, it brings together elements of the craft of a masquerade in his studio, a lecture where the origins and history of the character are disclosed (contributions to a history of European masked theater), a rehearsal, where this builder-actor now prepares objects and launches ideas for improvisations and, also, for a show, when the fictional dimension takes the reins of communication and the theater takes place. Pino Custódio will discover with the public the character that chose him at the time when he learned the rudiments of working as an actor with a mask, in his 20s, and never had the opportunity to actually meet him until now…
From the point of view of a mascareiro, the character Polichinelo is approached. On a table are seven masks made by him, on an axis that goes back to the ancient Roman theater, passes through the famous apparitions of the 16th and 17th centuries, at the height of the Commedia dell’Arte, continues with Pagliaccio through the 19th century and leads to the daily possibility of a democracy liberal. A syncretic show, it brings together elements of the craft of a masquerade in his studio, a lecture where the origins and history of the character are disclosed (contributions to a history of European masked theater), a rehearsal, where this builder-actor now prepares objects and launches ideas for improvisations and, also, for a show, when the fictional dimension takes the reins of communication and the theater takes place. Pino Custódio will discover with the public the character that chose him at the time when he learned the rudiments of working as an actor with a mask, in his 20s, and never had the opportunity to actually meet him until now…
Once Polichinelo is a solo show by a masquerade-actor who exhibits and experiments with the public his own masks, in the sense of finding the one that will accompany him, who will partner with him, from then on. It brings together elements from very different contextual universes, with their own dynamics, rules and principles, to constitute a syncretic object around the mythical character of Commedia dell’Arte, Polichinelo. The mask builder’s studio, the room where a lecture takes place, the rehearsal space where the characters prepare or explore themselves and the theater itself where, from a mobilization around a total representation, endless unfoldings are created for the field of fictional representation. On the table, a batch of masks pointed in the direction of Polichinelo, from a proposal concerning his remote (and controversial) descent, originating from the Athenian farces (4th century BC), through the Commedia dell’Arte and the Clown (19th century) ), until the present day, proposing a surprising contemporary Polichinelo. Here is a narrative sequence that unavoidably permeates the History of Theater in the West.

If the angle is that of the mask-maker, it will soon become apparent that it is the expression of a true demiurge, believing in a craft that, in the Renaissance and Baroque, was imposed on the actor himself. From a rectangular piece of leather stretched out in a mold, a dramaturgical record would be born for a lifetime, since creator and mask would never be separated. The play of representation depends on a (good) mask, as a previous stimulus, just like with the words inscribed in a play. And that’s why the masks that were intended for the walls were always considered dead. This is, after all, a work that marks a turning point in Nuno Pino Custódio’s activity, exactly three decades after the construction of his first leather mask as a methodological tool.
If the angle is that of the mask-maker, it will soon become apparent that it is the expression of a true demiurge, believing in a craft that, in the Renaissance and Baroque, was imposed on the actor himself. From a rectangular piece of leather stretched out in a mold, a dramaturgical record would be born for a lifetime, since creator and mask would never be separated. The play of representation depends on a (good) mask, as a previous stimulus, just like with the words inscribed in a play. And that’s why the masks that were intended for the walls were always considered dead. This is, after all, a work that marks a turning point in Nuno Pino Custódio’s activity, exactly three decades after the construction of his first leather mask as a methodological tool.
It’s not the actors who choose the masks they want to play. In fact, these are the ones who decide who will embody them – just like cats choose their owners? But, what if the actors themselves build them, like someone who invents the future? In this show, Nuno Pino Custódio will present seven of his masks, designed exclusively for this meeting. Are seven possibilities for Polichinelo seven characters looking for an actor? In the age of digital communication where precisely the other is expelled, presence and relationships disappear, things dematerialize and the public space is no longer understood, who is really who?
Staging, dramaturgy, masks and interpretation: Nuno Pino Custódio
Costumes: Patricia Raposo
Artistic assistance: André Louro and Catarina Santana
Production: Non-Player Character – Theater-School
For more information, contact:
geral@npcteatroescola.com
+351 935 038 587