About

Fronteiras Theatre Lab is an Edinburgh-based theatre company, founded in 2012. It was born from a burning desire to explore multiple cultures, languages and traditions and the points where they intersect in performance.

The word fronteira means ‘border’ in Portuguese, and the inspiration for the company’s name and philosophy comes from the place where I grew up, the unique towns of Sant’Ana do Livramento and Rivera, on the border between Brazil and Uruguay.

The distinction between the two towns and countries isn’t visible. There is no bridge, no river, no border control, just an imaginary line separating the two countries. The two towns merge into one, and even though you might have just crossed the road, the language changes, the currency changes, the architecture and the law change.

Yet, we need special laws and regulations for the place, we trade in three currencies (and good old barter), we are all bilingual and have developed our own local dialect as well. We belong to both countries and to neither at the same time, we can be either country and we can be our own.

We want to apply and reflect this peculiar feeling in performance. We want to create theatrical environments which see borders and intersections as opportunities for creative growth. We like calling the work syncretic. Our interactions expose our culture to others and make us experience other cultures in a horizontal, countercolonial dialogue. The result of these interactions is what we bring to our audiences.

Flavia D’Avila Artistic Director