TEATRO

MUNGANGA

PROGRAM

 

RENT OUR SPACE

A theatre hall and workspace

Teatro Munganga is the theater hall of Munganga: a multidisciplinary forum for artists and art lovers. This monumental building – the former horse tram depot on the Schinkelhavenstraat – is located a few meters from the entrance to the Vondelpark, on the Amstelveenseweg.
With a capacity for 60 people it’s a cozy space for all sorts of activities: concerts, theatre performances, parties, lectures and much more. Do you want to know more?

MUNGANGA

HOUSE OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS

Claudia Maoli and Carlos Lagoeiro

Artistic Directors

TEATRO

MUNGANGA

From Brazil originating theater group

From Brazil originating theater group Munganga (pronounced: moen-gang-gaa) is a Brazilian word, derived from Mganga, a tribe in Africa. The priests of this tribe make great and exuberant gestures during their rituals. Their way of communicating consists of expressive faces, grimaces and dancing.
Since its founding in 1987, Teatro Munganga has given the visual language a major role in its performances. By mixing and combining theatre with music, dance and puppetry, the theater group wants to show the poetry of life. The miracle of the everyday. Theatre group Munganga deals with universal themes, in which different cultures and their contrasts form the most important guideline in the projects.
“During our 30-year existence we have create performances with a critical view of society and as artists we are aware of our influence in the world. Our involvement with people regardless of their social class or origin extends beyond the theatre stage. In addition to performing in theaters, we also develop projects for schools, retirement homes, asylum seekers’ centers, psychiatric institutions and other non-conventional stages. In June 2013, we launched ‘Busganga’ (the theater on wheels) and in June 2014 we opened the doors of CASA Munganga; a charming and cozy theatre in the southern part of Amsterdam. Besides presenting the theatre’s own performances, we share a stage with other artists, activists and dreamers. A new phase.”

 

PHOTOS

VIDEOS

MUNGANGA DOCUMENTARY

The documentary MUNGANGA (2022) shows the theatre’s significance as a site of crisis and regeneration, memory and heritage, community solidarity and growth, and a key venue for independent, night-time culture in Amsterdam. It charts the journey of this important reference for bridging diverse cultures and communities in the city.  The production is an output of the HERA https://heranet.info/projects/public-spaces-culture-and-integration-in-europe/night-spaces-migration-culture-and-integration-in-europe

funded transdiciplinary collaborative research project Night Spaces: migration, culture and IntegraTion in Europe 

(NITE) https://www.nightspace.net/. This project aimed to answer how night spaces are imagined, produced, experienced, and narrated by migrant communities in Europe.  

MUNGANGA (2022) tells the story of Amsterdam theatre MUNGANGA, founded in 1987 by Brazilian actors and artistic directors Cláudia Maoli and Carlos Lagoeiro.  

 

MUNGANGA is a Brazilian word of African origin that means communicating through exuberant gestures, expressive faces, grimaces, and dance. The name captures the vision of MUNGANGA, which combines theatre with music, dance and puppetry. In the 90s and ’00s, MUNGANGA theatre company enjoyed government support and created, produced, and presented around 115 shows a year for children and youth, often with elements of social critique and influences from Brazilian literature and culture.  

 

Following the 2008 financial crisis and its impact on the cultural sector, Carlos and Claudia had to seek alternatives to their artistic journey. In 2014, they turned their rehearsal space into a theatre venue, housed in an old horse-drawn tram station in South Amsterdam that had been occupied by the squatter movement.  MUNGANGA is a charming and cosy theatre where Carlos and Claudia share the stage with other artists, activists, and dreamers. A welcoming space where multiple diasporic and migrant narratives meet in concerts and plays, lectures and debates, performances, and interventions.   

 

Credits: 

 

21 min – color – Spoken languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English and Dutch – Subtitles: English 

Directed by Francianne dos Santos Velho  

Co-created by Carlos Lagoeiro, Cláudia Maoli and Sara Brandellero   

Cinematography and Editing Thiemi Higashi and Malín van Weerdenburg

TEMPO

DE CELEBRAR CLARICE

TEMPO DE CELEBRAR CLARICE.

Twee dagen evenement op 10 en 11 dezember 2020. Met lezingen, concerten en Dramatisch voorlezen.

Homenagem ao centenário de nascimento da fascinante escritora brasileira Clarice Lispector (10/12/1920). Hommage aan de fascinerende Braziliaanse schrijver Clarice Lispector. 10 December zou ze 100 jaar oud zijn (10/12/1920).

Afbeelding: Studio Harcourt/Acervo Clarice Lispector/Instituto Moreira Salles.

VIDEOS

CONTACT

Contact us at:

Schinkelhavenstraat 27 hs
1075 VP Amsterdam
E-mail: info@munganga.nl

CODED BY ARNO & FAPNET

DESIGNED BY KAREN HOFSTETTER

Since1987