The Santa Companhia

Santa Companhia was founded in 2014 with the mission of creating theatrical works that democratize access to culture through the deepening and expansion of its ongoing research: the rito-manifesto, shared and co-created with the public through artistic and pedagogical practices. With over 10 years of continued artistic work, the company develops the stylistic research proposed as rito-manifesto, exploring the realms of rites, myths, manifestations, festivals, and technologies under the worldview of Anthropophagy, as proposed by Oswald de Andrade, and Psychomagic, developed by Chilean artist Alejandro Jodorowsky

In 2014, at the beginning of our journey, we developed the performances Futurice (des)humana and The Five Thoughtful Saturdays: Corpus (I), Cromo (II), Aqua (III), Vício (IV) and Fauna (V), as well as the play Anamnese (2014–2015). In 2015, we began our engagement with Anthropophagy, leading to the creation of the scenic experiment Antropofrei (2016), which became the basis for writing our first rito-manifesto, Cora Primavera, the following year: a street play featuring 45 performers, including actors and musicians, presented in São Paulo and Curitiba from 2018 to 2019. Cora Primavera also had a shorter version titled Cantata for the Spring

After Cora Primavera, the group faced the pandemic period, which, despite its challenges, was fertile in creativity. We produced the short film Ditiramba pra Subir (2020) and the transmedia podcast project bemdita! — with three seasons (2020–2023) and 71 episodes. In 2021, thanks to the Maria Alice Vergueiro Award (Law Aldir Blanc, Modality I), we also created the podcast miniseries Anthropophagy in Research, the reading cycle Living Readings of the Absurd, the pedagogical workshop The Sound and Your Sound, the music video My Country, and the Santa Transmedia Fair — a virtual event rooted in our participation in the Movement for the Preservation of São Crispim Square (2019), together with the Lapa and Vila Ipojuca communities in São Paulo

After this period, Santa Companhia began researching Psychomagic, a knowledge system created by Alejandro Jodorowsky that centers the Tarot as a symbolic tool. In 2021, we held a psychomagic study cycle and a research caravan to Chile, in the cities of Santiago and Valdivia. Upon returning to Brazil and with theaters reopening, we gathered to begin creating a new rito-manifesto. Thus began Mare Nostrum, a phase of creation to generate source material for the play. Over six months, we explored the body, voice, symbol, poetics, and action of The Fool (Arcana 0, the one who moves the deck) and the first seven Major Arcana: The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, and The Chariot

From this material, the dramaturgy team — Adely Branco, Igor Bueno, Rafael Abrahão, and Ricardo Rapozo — created the play Karabaré: Enchanted Poetry, a rito-manifesto in two acts, no intermission, rated for all ages, and totaling 110 minutes of action. The play premiered in March 2023 at the Ademar Guerra Room of Centro Cultural São Paulo – CCSP (Vergueiro, São Paulo), in a season of 10 performances. Karabaré also has a short version: the first act Cantata for Love

Currently, the dramaturgy team continues creating from the Marseille Tarot and the ongoing research.