From March 4–8, CarniSal brings immersive LGBTQIA+ theater to free venues across Rio de Janeiro and the Baixada Fluminense region.
The Body as a Political Stage
Brazil recorded 257 violent deaths of LGBTQIA+ people in 2025 — one every 34 hours, according to the Grupo Gay da Bahia annual report. Against this backdrop, CarniSal arrives as both political statement and sensory experience. The multilanguage show blends theater, performance, dance, and original sound composition to explore gender, sexuality, desire, violence, and resistance through lived LGBTQIA+ experiences.
Directed by Camila Rocha and created by the Grupo Kaos collective, the dramaturgy and score were developed exclusively for this production. The title plays on the Portuguese word “carniçal” — evoking raw flesh and salt — to tension the boundaries between pain and pleasure, memory and desire, life and disposal.
Dystopia, Surveillance, and Forbidden Desire
Five characters are confined in a permanent surveillance structure within a dystopian, collapsed civilization. When technical glitches begin to appear, suppressed memories, desires, and identities start to surface. CarniSal constructs an immersive experience that moves beyond passive watching — the audience is invited to feel, perceive, and engage.
“More than watching, the audience lives an experience that provokes sensory and emotional displacement, creating a space where desire, tension, vulnerability, and resistance emerge as shared living.” — Vitória Pedro, producer
A Diverse Team, a Decentralized Art
The production team is made up predominantly of LGBTQIA+ people, women, Black artists, and people from the urban periphery. By touring venues in downtown Rio, Duque de Caxias, and Penha, the project actively challenges the concentration of cultural production in elite spaces.
“CarniSal is produced by a diverse team, made up predominantly of LGBTQIA+ people, women, Black and peripheral people, reaffirming our commitment to cultural decentralization, accessibility, audience development, and the valorization of plural narratives in Rio’s artistic scene.” — Camila Rocha, director
Accessibility and Social Reach
Every session includes a Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpreter and a post-show talk-back. The project also runs a blood donation campaign in partnership with Hemorio, handing out poetry to donors. In parallel, a clothing drive will see cast members distribute donations to unhoused people near the venues.
A free virtual screening on YouTube will also be available for those who cannot attend in person, expanding the show’s reach beyond the physical venues.
“CarniSal is a necessary project because it sits at the intersection of memory, body, and politics, challenging the historical and structural processes that turn dissident bodies into commodities for consumption, overproduction, and disposal.” — Marcos Moraes, producer
Credits
Concept, artistic direction and text: Grupo Kaos | Guest Director: Camila Rocha | Production Direction: Lab Corpo Produções — Marcos Moraes and Vitoria Pedro | Performer-creators: Camila Gonzalez, Digo Salvatore, Erivan Borges, Marcos Moraes and Vitoria Pedro | Dramaturgy: Erivan Borges | Dramaturgical adaptation: Lane Lopes | Artistic interlocution: Maurício Lima | Music production and score: Beà Ayòóla | Production team: Carol Cuba, Nanda Rocha and Milla Silveira | Costume design: Nelson Reis | Press: Alessandra Costa | Photography: Bea Domingos, Gabriela Machado and Thainá Iná | Video capture and editing: Karine Lima | Libras interpreter: Rebeca Pimentel | Design: Caíque Mello | Sensitized collaborator: Cauê Camargo | Audio description: Dom Vitor | Sound: Icamiabas Audiovisual | Lighting: Tayná Maciel
Event Info
CarniSal — Free Tour
March 4, 5 PM — Teatro Correios Lea Garcia | Rua Visconde de Itaborai, 20, Centro, Rio de Janeiro
March 7, 7 PM — Teatro Municipal Raul Cortez | Praça da Emancipação, S/N, Vila Meriti, Duque de Caxias – RJ
March 8, 7 PM — Arena Dicró, Parque Ari Barroso | R. Flora Lôbo, s/n, Penha Circular, Rio de Janeiro
Free admission to all events
Photo: Bea Domingos, Gabriela Machado, Thainá Iná
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