“I knew of the Fringe’s power as a concept, but being there in person was something else entirely.”
WHO: Thiago Richter
WHAT: “Opinions are weapons. Friendship is the casualty. Liz and Sam host a theatre podcast. When Sam champions a radical new production, Liz’s fury erupts, not from having seen it, but from the sheer possibility of their disagreement. As their civilized world shatters in a storm of jargon and betrayal, the unthinkable happens, as furious voices of Greek tragedy and Shakespeare’s figures erupt onto the stage, violently invading and transfiguring their reality. An absurd meta-theatrical tragicomedy from Brazil performed in English where worlds collide, discourse meets myth and theatre fights back.”
WHERE: Playground 2 at ZOO Playground (Venue 186)
WHEN: 18:05 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
We first had contact with the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, while I was on a scholarship summer course at the University of Edinburgh (SUISS). I knew of the Fringe’s power as a concept, but being there in person was something else entirely. The people, the passion, the sense of an entire city living for art. I knew we needed to be part of this one day.
Ten years later, we are.
Coming back now with our newest production, Argonauts, we get to experience the other side of it, the risk and the vulnerability of putting your work out there, but we’re also confident, knowing that exact tension is such fertile ground for artistic development. The sense of wonder is amplified in many ways. A ‘dream within a dream’, as we discuss in the play.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
We’ve learned a lot, and that’s one of the best parts. The best way to learn something in theatre, and maybe in life as a whole, I believe, is by doing it. And this process, with all its difficulties and subsequent overcomings, has strengthened us as artists and also as producers. It’s such a gargantuan endeavour, especially as an international company, and precisely because of that we’ve become stronger and more in our element in each of the many roles we perform as the preparation process nears its end. It’s a trial by fire, and overcoming it empowers you.
Tell us about your show.
Argonauts was written by me and produced in continuous collaboration with dramaturg and actress Jéssica Cardia. Curiously, we started working together in Brazil doing theatre in English when we were still teenagers, and the festival we were part of back then was, in many ways, very much inspired by the Edinburgh Fringe, which makes this debut yet another full-circle moment in our lives.
Technis, the company we founded, was created for the staging of one of our previous productions, Noite de Reis or What You Will, a bilingual Portuguese-English reading of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It’s a play we love, and it opened many doors for us in Brazil and even abroad. Now with Argonauts, the idea is to expand those horizons even further into the UK, as well as all the other possibilities that the Edinburgh Fringe cultivates.
This is a world premiere: we’re bringing it to the world for the very first time at ZOO Playground. As for what awaits us after the Fringe, we’re very much open to the conversations and connections the festival masterfully brings to the table. We’d love to take it elsewhere in the UK (London is always a dream waiting to happen) but wherever the play finds resonance with its audience, really. That’s much of what the show is about. For now, however, our focus is entirely on Edinburgh. We’re giving it everything we have.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Gabi Flares’ Deluge, is coming back to the Fringe after a run in 2024, we became great friends through that experience (yet another one of the Fringe’s wonders). It’s at Underbelly Cowgate, Aug 5-30, 3:30pm. Amazing physical theatre work.
We’d also like to give a shout out to two other brilliant Brazilian shows sharing our home at ZOO Venues this year: 116 Grams and The Last Drop. We know the teams behind both from São Paulo’s theatre scene, so it feels awesome to share this journey with them.
There’s something special about seeing work from our home country resonating on this international stage, a reminder that Brazilian theatre has much to say to the world.
That’s the beauty of it, we’re all in this together.
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