Never give up on your dreams‘ play’

Based on the work of Augusto Cury, considered the most widely read author of the decade.

“Life is worth living, even when the world seems to be collapsing at our feet. To do this, we must use our dreams to temper our existence, our pains to build us up and not to destroy us.” This thought by Augusto Cury, a psychiatrist and considered the most widely read author of the decade, gives us just a taste of what audiences can expect when they see the reflective comedy “Never give up on your dreams”, which is COMING TO THE THEATRE THIS DAY. The play, based on Cury's book of the same name, offers the audience a journey of self-knowledge, reflection on their own lives and the need for psychological guidance in the face of self-sabotaging problems, as well as an understanding of their dreams as objectives to be pursued at any time, but in a joyful and entertaining way. On stage, the protagonists Maximiliana Reis and Nizo Neto experience a veritable salad of emotions, ranging from laughter to anguish, with messages of resilience, motivation and a lot of hope. In search of happiness, even when everything seems to be going wrong. “We should shout in silence that the best days are yet to come, face the saddest periods in life not as periods, but as commas to continue writing our trajectory,” adds Cury, who adapted the text to the language of theater, alongside Ingrid Zavarezzi. The play is directed by Rogério Fabiano.

The plot begins with 60-year-old psychologist Carol, a follower of Dr. Cury's methodology, who is successful with her patients but barely manages her life, which is a true romantic comedy drama. On stage, there's the woman seduced by a younger man; the typical teenager, from generation Z, who thinks her mother is "clueless", picking on her; the funny businessman, who thinks he's unlucky in business; the day-to-day domestic hustle and bustle of a separated mother; the lady who makes everything in her life a drama, but, in fact, they are solvable issues that make the audience laugh; among other funny types who make humor out of tragedy. The story also mixes fiction with real situations. Passages from the lives of Cury himself, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and Jesus Christ illustrate the production. For example, in a scene in which Dr. Augusto Cury (played by Nizo Neto) talks to his grandson.

“It's a work that talks about the importance of dreaming with discipline, taking charge of life, understanding that our personal universe is not an island and that this applies to all generations. Great figures in the history of humanity have experienced the same doubts and problems that we do today, and so have our characters,” says author and screenwriter Ingrid, who has worked in TV, theater and the web for 25 years. Among the highlights: she wrote the series “Beijo me liga” for Multishow (winner of the Converge Mobile Marketing award); she was the author of “Malhação conectados“ (Globo); and for the web, she wrote for the teenage humor channel ”Planeta das gêmeas", with millions of views. She was also awarded the Profissão Entretenimento IATEC/ SENAC/ TV Globo prize in the Screenplay category.

About the actors and the director's word

For Maximiliana Reis, many women will immediately identify with her character. “Carol is the mirror of many warrior women in Brazil and around the world, who suffer the pressures of life's ups and downs. But she never gives up hope of turning the tide,” says the actress, who is celebrating 40 years in the business: “It's an honor to be part of this talented team. And it's been a dream come true to stage a play by Augusto Cury”.

Maximiliana tells us how the text really touches the audience. “The reason I agreed to play Carol was because I identified with the theme and how I would like to help so many people with this therapy in the theater. The audience identifies with each scene and each character. At the end of each session, many women come up to me, emotional, wanting to express how valuable it was to watch the show at that moment. It's a great pleasure to have this immediate reward,” she says, who has worked in theater and on TV: she was actress and producer of the hit “Os monólogos da vagina” (The vagina monologues), which ran for 20 years, and of “Querido Mundo” (Dear World). On the small screen, she acted in the soap operas Chiquititas (SBT, 2013) and Cúmplices de um resgate (SBT, 2015).

On tour throughout Brazil with the show, Nizo Neto has received positive feedback from people, both on the web and live at the end of the sessions. The audience sees themselves in his character Breno. In fact, he identifies himself. “He's the guy who goes through a lot of things that a lot of people go through, right? Which is the problem of self-esteem. And the ups and downs of life that surprise us. A guy who prepared himself, studied and is now doing what he doesn't like, having to live where he doesn't want to, because life has put him in this situation. In a way, I identify with him because, as I said, life is full of ups and downs, even more so for us artists. It's the difficulty of turning things around, facing up to what you're going through and asking for help, in this case, therapy. I've been going to therapy for many years and it helps so, so much,” she reveals.

On stage, Nizo also impersonates the writer Augusto Cury. This is when he has the opportunity to show another side of himself as an actor. “Playing Cury is a privilege. He's incredible. Even more so because I'm very used to doing comedy, right? And this is a serious character. Breno, for example, is more comical and all that, but this is a serious character, who shows a different side to me as an actor,” says Cury, who is a comedian, writer, speaker, director and voice actor. He is known for his roles in soap operas, such as “A próxima vítima” (1995) and “O Cravo e a Rosa” (2000) - both on Globo - and comedy shows, such as Seu Ptolomeu from “Escolinha do Professor Raimundo” (Globo). He has dubbed numerous films, cartoons and series, including the hit “Cobra Kai” (Netflix), in which he lends his voice to actor Ralph Macchio, the protagonist. Neto runs the Nizológico podcast.

In its third year on tour in Brazil, the play has thrilled audiences wherever it goes. “The play has comedy; it has an emotional part; it talks about dreams; and it motivates the audience not to give up on their dreams, their ambitions and their feelings. The characters are fighting for their happiness. The show, which caters for all ages, is inspired by the willpower that drives human beings, and that's what we want to pass on to the audience: to motivate them not to give up and, from what we see of the reaction, we're achieving this,” says director Rogério Fabiano. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Fabiano highlights his latest work: on TV, he acted in the soap operas “Os Mutantes” (2009) and “Prova de amor” (2006), both on Record; and in theater, he stars in the play “Allan Kardec”, which has been touring Brazil for more than ten years; he acts in the comedy “Sorria! You're in the afterlife” and directed “The future of humanity”. He also directs the show by singer Gina Garcia, Gloria Groove's mother, “Gina canta Gal”, in homage to the late Gal Costa.

Also in the cast: Marília Machado and Murilo Cunha. Each plays more than one role, straddling different generations. Marília plays Vânia, Amélia and Tatiana, characters who address issues such as motherhood; racism; depression at 80; and adolescent rebellion and dependence on social networks. And Murilo plays Mateus and Guto, aged 32 and 12, roles rich in questions about life and the future and the attractive world of online business.

Marília performed in the children's shows “Os três Porquinhos” and "Já Elvis" with Trupe Pé de Histórias, and is currently performing "Além do Arco Iris" and "Roupinhas para o vento Tino" with Grupo Pé de Brincadeira. Among his works for adult audiences, he has taken part in “The House of Bernarda Alba” - directed by Fernando Pivotto, “The Death of Ivan - A Story at the Foot of the Grave”, text and direction by Claudia Schapira, "Our Lady of the Clouds", directed by Erika Coracini, and “The Parturian”, directed by Simoni Boer, among others.

Murilo Cunha presented Top Game (Band, Gazeta, Rede TV and affiliates of SBT and Record). He also took part in “Cantando na chuva”, “Alguém pra chamar de seu”, “Segunda okê”, among other plays.

How the adaptation of the book for the theater came about

This is Augusto Cury's third work adapted for the theater. The best-selling book “The Dream Seller” was the first to be transformed into theatrical language. The idea was born during Dr. Augusto Cury's lectures at Applaus, directed by Luciano Cardoso, who has 33 years of expertise in the music and arts scene. Then it was time for “The Smartest Man in History” (Cury's best-selling novel of the last decade). Then, “Never give up on your dreams” and, finally, “The future of humanity”. All four shows are touring Brazil simultaneously.

“Each play deals with a different theme and ‘Never give up on your dreams’ is about dreams and resilience. It's a comedy, it's a highly emotional work, it's inspiring and profound in its content and messages about the importance of dreaming, of resilience in our lives. It is full of characters who address issues that we all go through in our daily lives. It's impossible not to identify with, laugh at and be moved by the situations. Augusto Cury is a master of emotion management, which we need more and more in a stressed and fast-paced society. ‘Do you dream or just wish? What's the difference between dreaming and wishing? Desire dies in the Monday routine. A dream is when it becomes a life goal,’ says Luciano.

SERVICE

Never Give Up on Your Dreams, by Augusto Cury.

Adapted by Augusto Cury and Ingrid Zavarezzi. Direction: Rogério Fabiano. Cast: Maximiliana Reis, Nizo Neto, Marilia Machado and Murilo Cunha. Genre: Reflective comedy. Synopsis: In a light-hearted text that moves through various amusing and reflective situations, ranging from laughter to anguish, with messages of resilience, motivation and hope, the plot begins with 60-year-old psychologist Carol, an adherent of Dr. Cury's methodology, who is successful with her patients but barely manages her life, which is a true romantic reflective comedy. On stage, there's the woman seduced by a younger man; the typical teenager, from generation Z, who thinks her mother is "clueless", picking on her; the funny businessman, who thinks he's unlucky in business; the day-to-day domestic hustle and bustle of a separated mother; the lady who makes everything in her life a drama, but in reality, they are solvable issues that make the audience laugh; among other funny types who make humor out of tragedy. They all have in common the search for love and for their dreams as goals to be achieved at any time, even when everything seems to be going wrong. Bearing in mind that better days are to come and that life's sorrows shouldn't be considered periods, but commas to continue writing their journey.