What does it take to produce a whole theather performance? Think about a group of 20 people passionate about theather and everything that envolves art. They all study at Cásper Líbero University, attending the majors of Journalism, Radio, Television and Internet, Publicity and Propaganda or Public Relations. They all are seeking out their path within Communications and Arts. These group of students are amator actors, who spend their week-days between classes at university and internship, and their weekends at rehearsals with the actresses Mara Faustino and Fernanda Gonçalves, director and assistant-director. Ladies and gentlemen, you have already met the Grapetes Group (HC wrote a profile about them) before, but right now you are going to meet the entrepeneur side of the group.
By the end of the year, the group produces a play: plot, stage, scenery, characterization all included. In 2016, Faustino’s suggestion and group’s decision was to performance “Polacas”, a text of the writer Analy Alvarez, about the trafficking of Jewish women to Brazil for prostitution in the turn of the twentieth century. The theme and the plot really inspired all actresses and actors, due to the importance and relevance of this issue – trafficking of women – that exists until today.
But, setting a play is not an easy task. Renting a theather, stablishing a scenario that represents the historical context, researching and searching the appropriate costumes are activities that activities that demand a certain money investment. And, for the first time – in 7 years of group existance – the Grapetes engaged the Ação dos Doces, or “Candy Action”, where group members met every weekend of September to cook and sell delicious swetties: the Brazilian brigadeiro, carrot cake with chocolate topping, Nutella pastries. The Sundays, when Paulista Avenue was closed for cars and open for the public, the Casperian actors played the part of the sellers. And we guarantee: the experience was filled with ups and downs.
Ação dos Doces from Grapetes
At the first Saturday of cooking, September 10th, 7 group members – Gabriel Nascimento (RTVI), Bruna Martins Nunes (P&P), Bárbara Muniz (Journalism), Guto Martini (Journalism), Gabriel Calvino (Journalism), Stephani Santoro (RTVI) and André Salama (RTVI) – decided to cook “chocolate” and “powdered milk with Nutella” brigadeiros. As they rehearsed during Saturday morning, these 7 amator-cookers spent their afternoon rolling the candies. Guess what happened? One of the recipes, the “powdered milk with Nutella” one, went totally wrong (they let the moisture so long on the stove and it turned into a very stiff dough). Worsen, the chocolate recipe rended only half of the expactations. On the next day, Bruna, Gabriel and Bárbara went to Paulista Avenue to practice their selling abilities – and Bruna totally owed it, by the way! Even under the sun (and having a great part of the chocolate pieces melted), they handled the situation, did not lowed the prices and sold everything they could. Balance of the day: no profit, but a really grateful experience.
Bárbara Muniz with the part of the recipe that succeeded in September 10th
The other week, the group reunited with almost all of the members to sell more candies. They have changed the estrategy and cooked the swetties at home, own their own, and met at the sunny Paulista Avenue. The group organization improved: proper containers to keep the candies cool, napkins to serve the candies for the people walking by the streets, boards telling the “clients” that they were part of a Drama Club and, above all things, were fundraising to produce their play. With the learnings from the failed experience they have faced before the results were better in all instances. Real (money) profit appeared for the first time!
André Salama, Tomás Lisboa, Carol Matei, Stephani Santoro and Henrique Vecchio selling candies for a passer-by at Trianon Park, in September 18th
Nuts brigadeiros and powdered milk with Nutella pastries in September 18th
Guto Martini and Isabella Senise selling cakes at Paulista Avenue, in September 18th
The recipe to do Theather is not one of the easy ones, but it is one of the most delicious ever: Grapetes show us! Adding passion for theather, group engagement, and sugar, we may taste and share a great performance by the end of 2016. Save the date: November 30th, December 1st and 2nd.