ARIANO – A POETIC SAGA IN THREE ACTS

Conception and Tribute

A truly amazing piece, the show "Ariano" was born in 2007 from the depths of CiaTeatro Epigenia, as if creating a melody in honor of a master: Ariano Suassuna, a true Paraíba native, master of enchanted words. With a text by Gustavo Paso and Astier Basílio, the play isn't content to simply tell the story—it dances, dreams, and resonates with Suassuna's soul in a symbolic journey, a veritable pilgrimage of staged poetry.

He debuted at the CCBB in Rio de Janeiro and, like a northeastern wanderer, toured other parts of Brazil.

Dramatic Structure Inspired by the Divine Comedy
Like a cry that echoes in the backlands of the imagination, the drama is mirrored in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, and is divided into three acts, or rather, three realms of existence:

• Sol (Hell) : where the protagonist finds himself dealing with his own hells, pains and bad moods.

• Blood (Purgatory) : when the heart struggles between the burden of memory and the hope of redemption.

• Dream (Paradise) : high point of the crossing, where the soul finds relief and return to the cradle of creation. It is a tune of rare depth, which digs the senses with a hoe of philosophy and a lamp of beauty.

Plot and Characters
On the play's path, a young Ariano—played by Gustavo Falcão—searches for the mythical "Kingdom of Acauã," a land of memory and origin. Along the way, he stumbles upon his own ghosts and enchantments: João Grilo and Chicó, Clarabela, Nevinha, Quaderna, and Margarida, all characters who escaped from his pages to take shape and voice on stage. Also featured are prominent figures, such as Maria da Guia and Antônio Conselheiro, to demonstrate that the sertão is vast, and within it lies both delirium and history.

Scenic and Musical Elements
It's a celebration, it's a ritual, it's an armorial! The actors, sixteen in all, are not just performers—they are bards, dancers, and musicians. Fiddle, fife, accordion, and zabumba convey the sonorous soul of the Northeast, and each scene pulses with the strength of this land. The staging draws from the Armorial Movement and proclaims loudly: popular culture has refinement, depth, and nobility.

Reception and Impact
It was a poetic explosion! The play toured the country, its feet firmly on the ground and its eyes on the stars. It passed through Recife, João Pessoa, Brasília, Belo Horizonte... and returned to Taperoá, like someone saluting the master in their homeland. It earned the respect of the people and critics, and even Petrobras took a leap of faith and sponsored the tour. "Ariano" is not just a show—it's an act of faith in the transformative power of theater.

And as the late Madeira do Rosarinho would say, when she took her street party to the streets:
"If you're going to tell the truth, let it be with poetry!"