Centro de Empreendimentos Artísticos BARCA /
BARK of Dionysus (phantasy name)
In 1989, the company Centro de Empreendimentos Artísticos BARCA Ltda was created, in order to professionalize the activities of the Barca de Dionisos Group, created in 1987 by the directors William Pereira and Cibele Forjaz, and by the actors Lúcia Romano, Emílio de Melo, Luciano Chirolli, João Federicci, Vanderlei Bernardino, Abílio Tavares, Antônio Araújo and Marcos Moraes, recently graduated from the Escola e Comunicações e Artes da USP. BARCA, as the company was “nicknamed”, was conceived as a producer of theatrical shows and provider of services in the areas of interpretation, direction, scenography, costumes and lighting.
Since then, the company has maintained a profile that integrates more authorial actions and participation in co-productions. Barca was present in the debut works of director Cibele Forjaz ('Fantasia de Fedra Furor' and 'O Lamento de Ariadne') and director William Pereira ('Leonce e Lena' and 'O Burguês Fidalgo B'). It was followed by 'Ilha' (1991), written and directed by Augusto Francisco, produced in partnership with Cia. do Bixiga (presented at SESC Vila Nova and Teatro do Bixiga).
The next production, 'Escada de Giz' (2003), with text by Rubens Rewald and direction by Raquel Ornellas, premiered in 2003 and ran until 2004. The play 'Gato Sem Rabo' (2006), text by Celso Cruz and Lúcia Romano, directed by Celso Cruz and Alice K, premiered at CCSP-SP in 2006, and served seasons in other theaters in the same year.
The show 'Gaivota - Tema Para um Conto Curto' (2006), an adaptation of the work by Tchekhov, directed by Enrique Diaz, was produced by BARCA in 2006. The show premiered in Rio de Janeiro, completing a successful season at Teatro Poeira. After an extensive Brazilian tour, in 2007 and 2008, through the cities of São Paulo, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Belo Horizonte, 'Gaivota - Tema Para um Conto Curto' participated in several International Festivals, among them, the Paris Autumn Festival (France), Bercelona’s GREC Festival (Spain), Festival Transamerique (Montreal/Canada); IX Iberoamerican Festival of Bogotá (Colombia) and Spring Arts Festival Shizuoka (Japan), until 2012.
The design and execution of Projeto Mulheril, curated by Paula Zurawski and Lúcia Romano (begun in 2006 and in circulation until 2007) was another achievement of BARCA. Within Mulheril, Barca produced the new season of 'Gato Sem Rabo' and the 'Mulheril Reading and Debate Cycle' (2006), presented at Caixa Cultural, in São Paulo. The project resulted in the book 'Mulheril', in press.
The national tour of the performance 'Credores', by August Strindberg, directed by Antonio Gilberto, adds to the previous works, which began in 2009.
In 2010, BARCA co-produced the circulation of the theatrical performance 'Raptada Pelo Raio', directed by Cibele Forjaz, together with Companhia Livre. In the same year, it made the premiere and circulation of 'Um Porco Sentado Com Asas de Homem Dilacerado', a dance-installation, in partnership with Cia. Incunabula. The dance performance was contemplated by the 14th Festival of Cultura Inglesa, when it received the award for Best Dance Show. Inspired by the influences between the Irish painter Francis Bacon and the English photographer John Deakin, 'Um Porco Sentado' also held a season at SESC Pompéia (in 2010), inaugurating the Espaço Cênico, a new season at Galeria Olido (in 2011).
In 2011, BARCA produced 'Raptada Pelo Raio 2.0', created by Cia Livre de Teatro, presented at Casa Livre. In the same year, it co-produced, in partnership with Cia Incunabula, the dance performance 'Alfaiataria de Gestos', with the support of Proac Dança 2011.
In 2013, BARCA acted in the publishing market in the area of performing arts, when it produced the edition of the book 'Caderno de Atuação – Diário de montagem de Pais e Filhos in the 18 mornings, afternoons and evenings of May of 2011', related to the process creation of the performance 'Pais e Filhos', in partnership with the mundane company. BARCA also held the book launch at the Capobianco Cultural Center in 2013.
In the same year, in a new partnership with Cia Livre de Teatro, BARCA started the production of 'Maria que virou Jonas, ou A Força da Imaginação'. Inspired by the essay "Da Força da Imaginação", by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), the show premiered in 2015 at SESC Belenzinho and ran until 2018.
In 2018 and 2019, the company provided services in the areas of TV and cinema. In 2020, it started the projects 'A Morte da Estrela' and 'Diários de Adão e Eva (in prospect, directed by Renata Melo).
In 2022, Barca also starts prospections for the project 'Movimentos sobre a cidade', a project that will have text built in dramaturgy workshops taught by Marcio Abreu, who also signs the direction of the performance. The cast will include the actors Emílio de Mello and Marcio Juliano and the musician Érica Silva, who also signs the musical direction.