Interviews conducted by journalist Adriana Couto with pairs of guest artists and thinkers, some of whom have shows featured at MIRADA. The conversations address each one’s story and thought, showing the perspective of their work and connecting it with the festival’s pillars: Forest, Dream, and Hope.

Sep. 8 – Lydia Del Picchia (Cabaré Coragem [Cabaret Courage]) and Mariana de Althaus (Quemar el Bosque Contigo Adentro e La Vida en Otros Planetas [Burn The Forest With You Deep Inside of It and Life On Other Planets]) 

Lydia Del Picchia is an actress, dancer, singer, choreographer, and director. She was born in Belo Horizonte into a family of artists and received her education from Fundação das Artes, in São Caetano do Sul, since she was six. She has a degree from the defunct Trans-Forma Centro de Dança Contemporânea, a hub of cultural and interdisciplinary experiences. She has been an actress with Grupo Galpão since 1994, playing parts in all shows of the group’s repertoire and working with directors including Gabriel Villela, Cacá Carvalho, Paulo José, and Márcio Abreu. She was nominated as best supporting actress for the shows Partido (Sated — 1999), Pequenos Milagres (Sinparc and Sated — 2008), and Nós (APTR RJ — 2016) and won Best Actress awards for Eclipse (2011 Usiminas— Sinparc Award) and Outros (2019 Copasa — Sinparc Award). She has been the pedagogical coordinator of Galpão Cine Horto since 2004. 

Mariana de Althaus is a playwright, a director, and drama teacher. She has written and directed 18 theater works and taken part in festivals including Santiago a Mil, Festival de Cádiz, Festival Hispanoamericano de Teatro de Miami, and MIRADA. She has published the books Dramas de Familia, Todos los Hijos, and La Literatura Es Fuego (Alfaguara), a collection of some of her works, and The Language of Mermaids (Inti Press). 

Adriana Couto is a journalist. She has been the host for TV Cultura’s Metrópolis—one of Brazil’s most traditional art and culture TV shows—for more than ten years. Also at TV Cultura, she has been a news anchor for Jornal da Cultura. She was a TV presenter and reporter for Canal Futura RJ and further developed her research in education and public journalism. At TV Globo, she has worked as a reporter for the music show FAMA and for RJTV. In 2016, 2018, and 2021, she received the Comunique-se Award as Best Cultural/Spoken Media Journalist. She also presents the show Mais Preta on Radio Nova Brasil FM.