DECAMERON

Inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, the Parlapatões theatre group’s new play combines medieval and contemporary stories with a surprising naturalism that provokes laughter and reflection.
In an apocalyptic scenario, two archaeologists discover a photo of people hugging and, breaking protocols, feel the need to give each other a hug.
Decameron, the new play by Parlapatões, is the result of a collaborative and fluid creative process.
With dramaturgy by Hugo Possolo and collaboration by Camila Turim, the show stitches together stories and contexts, past, present and future, with an agile, witty, comic, reflective and contemporary timeline that updates the cultured freshness of the theatre group’s signature.
The production celebrates 33 years of Parlapatões’ productive and creative career.
The play draws inspiration from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, melding medieval farce with the festive language of vaudeville. It brings together Boccaccio’s novels with contemporary stories, offering a unique blend of historical and modern elements.
By focusing on different historical periods through the prism of two pandemics – the Bubonic Plague (14th Century) and the recent global pandemic – Decameron highlights how outdated human narratives and behaviours can still persist in the present day, particularly in challenging circumstances.
The narrator, Boccaccio, guides the audience through a series of transitions, from one historical period to the advent of the digital age and the emergence of social media. The stories reflect the world and the future from our contradictions, particularly those in Brazil. Possolo queries whether the country is still perceived as belonging to the medieval era.
The Decameron play was developed as part of the Ocupação Decameron project, which engaged the expertise of over 120 artists, including directors, playwrights, musical bands and partner groups.

Over a ten-day period, ten performances were held in various locations in São Paulo, including Roosevelt Square, Augusta Park and the steps of the Municipal Theatre in the city centre. These performances informed the development of the show, with the texts and scenes that constitute it being defined.