Award-winning storyteller Antonio Rocha will tell the tale of a historic Maine ship steeped in controversy during a performance at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St. in Freeport.
The Malaga was a 183-ton brig built in Brunswick by Joseph Badger in 1832. Not long after launch, the ship found itself a part of the Transatlantic slave trade, despite the 1808 law that prohibited the importation of enslaved people.
Using his entire body and voice, Rocha sings, narrates and mimes his way through this poetically toned historical tale told from the perspective of the ship. The story vividly explores the reality and impact of the slave trade then and now through Rocha’s relationships to Maine and Brazil. Each performance is followed by a moderated conversation with a facilitator, Rocha and the audience.
Tickets priced at $20 for adults, $15 for students are available at eventbrite.com by searching for “A Slave Ship Called Malaga.” The show is presented in cooperation with Portland Ovations.
Rocha was a resident artist at Indigo Arts Alliance in Portland Maine for the month of October 2021 where he developed the performance with grants from the Maine Arts Commission, The New England Foundation for the Arts as well as consulting support from Smithsonian Scholar Dr. Kate MacMahon. A native of Brazil, Rocha began his career in the performing arts in 1985. He studied mime with Tony Montanaro and Marcel Marceau. Mr. Rocha’s unique fusion of mime and spoken word has been performed from Singapore to South Africa.
Meetinghouse Arts Gallery & Stage provides the primary performance venue for Meetinghouse Arts. For more information, as well as the community calendar of arts and cultural events, visit meetinghousearts.org.
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