Thursday, April 25, 2024

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These days, drama that’s ripped from the headlines is more likely to be a kinky murder from an episode of “Law & Order” than the Living Newspaper plays of the Great Depression, but there’s a Cambridge fundraiser tonight for a new theater company that can bring back that spirit globally.

Casa do Sonhos/the House of Dreams wants to practice the “Theatre of the Oppressed,” which Arlington’s Sarah Morrisette describes as bringing theater to communities to “perform pieces about relevant social issues … and use applied theatre techniques to help people find solutions to their problems.” But before Morrisette and partner Marcos Antonio, of Beira, Mozambique, can form their international company of professional artists, they need to fund a three-month internship at the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro.

That’s where the fundraiser comes in, taking place from 6 to 8:30 tonight (or online at Indiegogo for the next week) with a Theatre of the Oppressed demonstration; hosting by David Coffin, a folk musician specializing in early music and sea music known to many as part of Cambridge’s Revels traditional music and dance organization; and a performance by Albino Mbie, a Mozambique-born, Berklee-educated musician who combines influences to craft a unique Moz-Jazz sound.

The Casa do Sonhos/the House of Dreams fundraising video is above. Here’s a look at Mbie’s work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g351MInX3mE

And at Coffin’s work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMk4bLSMYkE

The fundraiser includes finger food, wine and beer and a raffle.

Casa dos Sonhos: The House of Dreams Fundraiser is from 6 to 8:30 tonight at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square. Tickets are $35 per person, or $20 for seniors and students.