On November 20, Black Consciousness Day, the musical theater production Os Irmãos Timótheo da Costa premieres at CCBB Brasília, directed by Luiz Antônio Pilar. The show explores the lives and works of painters João and Arthur Timótheo da Costa, prominent figures in early 20th-century Brazilian art. It runs through December 7.
The production Os Irmãos Timótheo da Costa, with dramaturgy by Claudia Valli and musical direction by Muato, is described by director Luiz Antônio Pilar as a "decolonial play" that reclaims narratives of Black and Indigenous people told by their own artists and thinkers. "It is about bringing to light melanin heroes and artists, placing them on stage, in agendas, and in conversations," says Pilar, who was nominated for the Shell Award for directing the musical Leci Brandão – Na Palma da Mão.
The show centers on brothers João Timótheo da Costa (1879–1932) and Arthur Timótheo da Costa (1882–1922), among the most prominent painters in the Brazilian art scene during the first two decades of the 20th century. They faced racial prejudice in society and died ten years apart from the same illness, paralytic dementia, at the Hospital dos Alienados in Rio de Janeiro. It was the same institution where writer Lima Barreto was interned and directed by physician Juliano Moreira, a pioneer in psychiatry and mental health in Brazil, known for combating scientific racism.
In musical format, the play investigates their lives and works, reviving their legacy amid marginalization. Performances run Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30 p.m. through December 7, with a 12+ age rating. Tickets cost 15 reais (half-price) and 30 reais (full), available on bb.com.br/cultura or at the CCBB Brasília box office starting the previous Friday at noon.