PHILOSOPHY IN THE BOUDOIR

PHILOSOPHY IN THE BOUDOIR
A co-production Os Satyros and Theatre Asylum.

This acclaimed production of experimental Brazilian theater company Os Satyros is based on the novel written by the Marquis de Sade. It is a unique theatrical experience and it has consistently been performed for the past ten years with record attendance. Os Satyros’ “Philosophy in the Boudoir” is part of the Sade Trilogy, with “120 Days of Sodom” and “Justine”. Set in a bedroom, two libertines (Juliette and Dolmancé) host a young virgin girl (Eugénie). They introduce her to the Libertine philosophical system, while presenting her to the exquisite pleasures of the flesh. Her mother, Madame de Mistival, is a conservative religious woman and decides to rescue her child, unaware of the fate reserved for her by the libertines.

DISCLAIMER: This show contains frontal nudity, sex, scatology and blasphemy. Sade’s text is not palatable. Not recommended for hypersensitive individuals.

Marquis de Sade
Born in 1740, the Marquis de Sade is considered to be one of the most radical writers in the history of literature. Taking part in the process of the French Revolution, the Marquis de Sade lived most of his life imprisoned. The Marquis de Sade, in his works, proposes a systematic inquiry of philosophy, sex, morals, laws and politics in radical terms. Many intellectuals, from Lacan to Adorno, from Susan Sontag to Camille Paglia discussed his literature under many different aspects. His deep influence in some of the most important modern artists is outstanding; as in Pasolini, Buñuel, Artaud and the surrealists. The text “Yet another Effort, Frenchmen, If You Would Become Republicans” (which is part of “Philosophy in the Boudoir”) is one of the most impressive Cynic manifestos in History.Living over 40 years of his life in the asylum of Charenton, he died in 1814.

Os Satyros

Founded in 1989, Os Satyros is considered to be one of the most important Brazilian theater companies. After years in Europe, the company came back to Brazil in 2000 and opened its venue in Praça Roosevelt.
Praça Roosevelt, Sao Paulo downtown region, was in the past an upscale part of the city, but it became decadent and the home and workplace of socially neglected individuals, prostitutes, transvestites and drug dealers. Due to Satyros’s revitalization work, incorporating these individuals in the artistic activities, this area became the most important alternative cultural scene in the city, crowded with other theaters and bars. This process is considered to be one of the most remarkable examples of cultural intervention with urbanistic impact in the largest Brazilian metropolis ever. In 2005 the company presented German writer Dea Loher’s A Vida na Praca Roosevelt (based on the inhabitants of the square). It was awarded the prestigious Beckett prize in Germany. The company has shown its work in major festivals in Brazil, Latin America and Europe.

The performance
First performed in 1990, “Philosophy in the Boudoir” became an immediate scandal, causing lots of debates in the Brazilian press. Throughout the years, the show was performed in several countries, with the same kind of reaction. In the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it was considered to be, among over 1.000 shows, “the scandal of the Festival” by the Scotsman and had excellent reviews in all the British newspapers. In Ukraine, it was cancelled due to censorship, after the 3rd performance.

The Sade Trilogy
After “Philosophy in the Boudoir”, Os Satyros produced the Sade Trilogy, including two other productions, with the same impact. In 2005, Os Satyros produced “120 Days of Sodom”. It was performed until 2011. In 2009, the last part of the Trilogy was produced, “Justine”. This one received two nominations for the most important Brazilian theater award, Prêmio Shell. The three shows were based on Sade’s works.
The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2013
The Hollywood Fringe Festival Philosophy in the Boudoir is a co production Os Satyros and Theatre Asylum.
http://www.theatreasylum-la.com/
http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1240