As these little cork and wood puppets leap onto a stage consisting of a wooden stage draped in flowery fabrics, we understand the magic of the Bonecos of Santo Aleixo and their amazing hold on audiences, even managing to overcome the language barrier. Taking place in dimmed light, between improvisation, audience interaction, and the compelling fusion between popular culture and erudite texts, these puppets create an atmosphere that resembles something from centuries ago. The music, performed live with Portuguese guitar, is another of their attractions.

These traditional stick puppets are manipulated from above, like the large marionettes of southern Italy and northern Europe.
 

The set of puppets and traditional scripts, which were only passed on orally, came into the hands of Ti'Manel Jaleca through his wife. Jaleca kept the show going for several decades before meeting António Talhinhas, a country man with great skills of improvisation and singing who brought a lively dynamic to the company and eventually purchased the entire collection. The dolls on show today belonged to the Talhinhas family for around three decades. From 1967 they were "made known to the cultured world" by Michel Giacometti and Henrique Delgado. The Bonecos de Santo Aleixo, property of the Centro Dramático de Évora, are manipulated by a “family" made up of professional actors who guarantee the show's permanence and thus the continuity of this form of artistic expression from the Alentejo.

During performances, the exhibition hall will be kept in close to total darkness, at the artists' request. All necessary safety protocols provided for by law will be in place.

Dates: 

18/05/2024, 6.00 pm (Museum Day Special Session museum entrance and activities for free*)

17/06/2024, 6.00 pm (session with the possibility of enrolling schools - secondary and university - price 2€/student, bookings at visitar.maat@edp.pt)

23/06/2024, 5.00 pm

30/06/2024, 5.00 pm

Duration: 70 min

Audience: 40 visitors

Proposed age classification: 12 yrs+

Language: Portuguese

Price: €15 (25% off with MAAT Card and EDP employees)

*except Yoga aMAR and Night at the Museum