In 1992, “Nau de Ícaros” (Icarus’s Ship), was the first production this company performed and the name of the play eventually became the name of the group. The event happened under a big top at the Circus School Picadeiro de São Paulo, and it told the story of some adventurous sailors and their magical journeys. The performance, that launched a line of research still alive today, counted on actors and actresses who combined an array of experiences in dance, theater, and music with circus techniques learned in the traditional “bigtop” schools of São Paulo.
In 1993, this performance was adapted for the traditional stage, and then began a tour of the Municipal Theaters of São Paulo. This tour received a variety of indications for prizes, despite being considered by critics as neither being theater nor circus. And in 1994, the group created “Sob o Céu” (Under the Sky), and began presenting in many independent cultural spaces in the city of São Paulo and the surrounding countryside, and also in several SESC’s (widely respected, national network of cultural centers funded by tax breaks for Brazilian commerce).
In 1995, Nau de Ícaros released the performance “Zerói”, by Hugo Possolo, and stayed on stage for a season in SESC Ipiranga. And in the same year, the Companhia went on to present the opera “Os Pescadores de Pérolas” (The Pearl Fishermen) in the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, directed by Naum Alves de Souza.
In 1997, the Companhia came out with the performance “O Pallácio não Acorda” (The Palace Won’t Wake Up), with a script by Naum Alves de Souza. This piece remained on the stage for six months and won nine prizes: 5 for Premios Mambembe (best supporting actor, best director, best script, best play, and best space for its circus techniques for the theater), 2 Coca-Cola prizes (Costume design, and Lighting), and 2 APCA prizes, (best actor, and scenery). All in all, “O Pallácio...” was 1997’s theater piece that received the most nominations for awards.
In 1998, Nau de Ícaros released “Quase Uma...” (Almost One...) with direction by Marco Vettore and through a partnership with Bloco do Baque Bolado - a group of percussionists that research the vast Brazilian musical scene. The performance summed up languages from the Circus, Music, and Video and was produced and distributed entirely by Nau de Ícaros in the12th Winter Festival of São João Del Rey, the 7th Mostra de Teatro do Monte Azul, and the 1st SESC Festival of New Circus. The production also had a long run at the cultural space A CASA and in the Companhia’s own space.
In 1999 “O Casamento de Lina” (Lina’s Wedding) was released in honor of the architect Lina Bo Bardi, and it utilized one of her grand constructions, SESC Pompéia, as the piece’s scenery. This production made use of a technique the Companhia had developed earlier that year, the use of varying architectural spaces, when it created a performance “El Gran Circo Carnaval” especially for SESC Pompéia.
In 2001, Nau de Ícaros continued its trajectory in search of Contemporary Circus, and once again found a new way of combining the artistic languages of circus, dance, music, and streaming video. This time the production was “ÂnimaAção”, a performance that received much acclaim at the 14th Winter Festival of São João Del Rey.
In the same year, the Companhia produced the project “Galpão na Rua” (Circus in the Streets): a open-air show that took place in a city square named Horácio Sabino in the neighborhood of Pinheiros. The event’s proposal was to perform in the streets of São Paulo at least once a month in order to get closer to a larger audience and revive a sense of traveling shows. For this project, the Companhia presented the show “NauHumoricos”.
In 2002, it was time to release “O CirCo” (The Circus), a production that honored the traditional circus and it’s men behind-the-scene, while at the same time reconfirming the creative potential of the Companhia. The production ran for 2 full months in the principal cultural spaces of São Paulo city. And concurrently, the Companhia released “E agora...” (What now...), a performance specially requested and funded by Banco Real that was performed in several schools in and around the state capital.
In 2003, the Companhia Cênica created “Projeto Fronteiras” (Project Fronteirs)- a culmination of the vast research accumulated over the length of its career. It was first presented in the Bi-annual Dance Showcase (the Bienal) promoted by SESC Santos and then gained enough force to stand on its own as the show “Fronteiras” during the same year.
During 2003, Nau de Ícaros was also proud to receive the prize “Fomento ao Teatro” (Theater Stimulus) from the municipal of São Paulo. This monetary prize made it possible to invest more in research, to find a more adequate space for rehearsals, to host workshops for the community, and to conceive a new performance entitled “Cidade dos Sonhos” (City of Dreams).
In 2004, the Companhia released “Cidade dos Sonhos”, and it remained on stage in the Cultural Center of São Paulo in Vergueiro during April and May. And in June of the same year, Companhia Cenica Nau de Ícaros embarked for Europe with its project “Caravana” (Caravan). During this 75-day tour, the Companhia presented 67 times in festivals held in Italy, France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Over the past 6 years, Nau de Ícaros has been putting on parties called “Ultréyas”. The objective of an Ultreya is to open a space for invited artists to present and test out new material. Each party counts on a new list of performances and therefore changes with its presenters. The result is the consolidation of a myriad of artistic languages into one variety show that is as close as one can come to “the new circus”. A party atmosphere encompasses the event complete with music, dancing, and public interaction.
With such diversity attained over the years, the Nau de Ícaros of today is made up of professionals from nearly every part of the performance art spectrum. The Companhia has developed a unique language that has allied knowledge in architecture, and engineering, while maintaining space for the investigation and diffusion of an authentic artistic language that recreates rites and forms of Brazilian cultural manifestations in urban spaces.
Nau de Ícaros, over the course of 14 years, has been able to participate in the following national and international festivals.
- II Porto Alegre em Cena
- 12º e 14º Festival de Inverno de São João del Rey
- 7ª e 8ª Mostra de Teatro Monte Azul
- 1º Festival SESC de Novo Circo
- 3º Bienal Sesc de Dança – grupo convidado
- 4ª Mostra SESI de Teatro Infantil
- 5th Artisti in Piazza – Penabilli – Italy
- 10th Il Teatro che Chamina – Castel San Pietro – Italy
- 13th Fête de la Musique – Genebra – Switzerland
- 34th Festival de la Cité – Lausanne – Switzerland
- 29th Paléo Festival – Nyon - Switzerland
- 29th Sfinks Festival – Antuerpia – Belgium
- Saint Agil – France
- 14th Tra il Sole e la Luna – Montone – Italy
- 2nd Immaginia...Festival Internazionale del Nuovo Circo Contemporaneo – San Valentino – Italy
- 5th "Al Aire Puro" International Street Theatre Festival - Bogota - Colombia
The companhia is currently situated in a Galpão (a modified warehouse), where it works on the creation of- and rehearsals for- its performances. This Galpão has 400m2 of open floor space and is 9 meters high. It has an office, a meeting room, a kitchen, two dressing rooms with bathrooms, and a bathroom for the public. There are also three mezzanines of varying heights.
The company owns a large amount of circus equipment: clubs, balls, fire clubs, swords, trapezes, monocycles, mini-bicycles, crash cushions, trampolines, mini trampolines, metal frame structures, flying trapeze swings, scenery, costumes, and a collapsible metal infrastructure that can be put together in a variety of formats, thus functioning as a big theater that makes innumerous possibilities for performances.
Today the Galpão da Companhia Cênica Nau de Ícaros hosts workshops given by its members, classes given by special invites, and holiday workshops.
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