According to the researcher Cristina Tolentino, the recurrent principles of theatre anthropology researched by Eugenio Barba in various cultures underline the uniqueness of each actor, group, and cultural historical horizon: the discovery of the common principles of scenic presence is applied to one’s own research identifying with a theatrical, transcultural history, built by masters or creators of other cultures.
The O Poste Group, which has been working with these training principles and techniques since 2009, has maintained contact with Eugenio Barba and had the opportunity to invite him and the actress Julia Varley to Recife, Brazil, in 2016 to share Odin Teatret’s experience.
In the framework of the principles of theatre anthropology, the group researches the African matrix and conducts a training process of ancestral exercises based on the movements and energies of the Orixás (Orixás Dance Dramaturgy and Body Turning on Stage). The O Poste School of Theatre Anthropology is a project created by the O Poste Group in 2018. Students get to know important local cultural expressions such as cavalo marinho, maracatu rural, capoeira and orixás dramaturgy, as a source of training and technical and identity development. Experiences of different techniques from other cultures, such as belly-dance, haka and tai chi chuan, are also part of the School’s pro-gramme.In addition to the above-mentioned experiences, the students practice training techniques based on Eugenio Barba’s, Michael Chekhov’s and Jerzy Grotowski’s exer-cises.
To enrol, students send a letter of intent and a curriculum to be analysed by the O Poste Group. The course lasts eight months and the project counts on eight teachers/researchers. The students receive pedagogical material, a certificate and at the end of the course they present a performance as public proof of the School’s result within the principles worked on. The last two productions were directed Samuel Santos assisted by Naná Sodré and Agrinez Melo.
The following subjects are taught at the School: “The affirmative body in clown acting” with Arislon Lopes; “Capoeira in actor’s play” with Orun Santana and Gabrielle Conde; “Jungle traditions: cavalo marinho and maracatu de baque solto in the actor’s work” with Andala Quituche; “Orixás dramaturgy and body turning on stage – Ancestral training practice of O Poste Group” with Agrinez Melo; “Work dance world – Exclusive method of world dance work” with Sylvya Olyveyra; “Physical awareness: martial art as a tool” with Manoel Ramos; “Contemporary theatre history” with Nana Sodré; “Creative voice – Vocal equivalence” with Nana Sodré; “Interpretation” with Samuel Santos.