Bio (english version)
Rafael Mariano Garcia is an actor-researcher born in 1991 in Garça, São Paulo, Brazil.
Between 2006 and 2010, he was a member of Evoé ou Não É theater group and a collaborator of the Núcleo de Artes Cênicas theater group (NAC) in Garça/SP, participating in various theatrical productions such as "Coração Cia. Ltda." (2008), "A Memória Conhece Todos os Caminhos de Volta" (2008), "Charles Chaplin" (2008), "Via Cênica IV" (2008), "II Café Literário TODAS - Mostra de Leituras Sensoriais" (2008), "O Bem-Amado" (2009), and "Via Cênica V - Trânsito para Alegrias Distraídas" (2010).
In 2011, he enrolled in the Performing Arts degree program at the University of Londrina. During his undergraduate studies, he was a researcher for the Klauss Vianna Technique and Body Dramaturgy Project: Systemic Study of Movement, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ceres Vittori. As a result of these studies, the play "Pés-De-deux" was created. The work premiered at the Ouro Preto Theater Show in 2012. It was also presented at the International Festival of Londrina (FILO) and at the Usina Cultural Theater in Londrina/PR. He actively participated in research and teaching projects at the university, focusing on Theater Direction and Production, Staging, Scenography, and Audiovisual Production. He was a production staff member at the Ouro Verde Theater.
In 2013, he staged his first solo, "Estações Mortas", at the Curitiba Theater Festival.
In 2014, he collaborated on the Cabaré Filosófico project, conceived by Prof. Dr. Gabriel Giannattasio from the History Department of the Center for Human Sciences (CCH) at the University of Londrina, working as a scenographer at the Cabaret Valentino event - Pensamento e Ebridade. The initiative included a series of activities such as lectures with philosopher Viviane Mosé and columnist Xico Sá. Also in 2014, he was an assistant director and casting preparer for the short film "Copo de Leite." Around the same time, he debuted the solo "Agora, é a Cerimônia do Adeus" at the Historical Museum of Londrina, which resulted from his undergraduate thesis on the relationships between memory, body, and creation. The academic work was recommended for publication by the evaluation committee due to its significant contributions to the field of studies. As part of his graduation project, he participated in the production "Eu Me Lembro," inspired by the film "After Life" (Wandafuru raifu) by Hirokazu Koreeda, under the direction of Sandra Parra.
In 2015, he presented the solo "Agora, é a Cerimônia do Adeus" at the 16th edition of the Short Scenes Festival at Galpão Cine Horto in Belo Horizonte/MG. He then premiered his first short film titled "Os Olhos do Pássaro." Later, he served as an artistic collaborator on the UEL FM radio program "Estação Assum Preto," also a project conceived by Prof. Dr. Gabriel Giannattasio.
In partnership with the Historical Museum of Londrina, he created the scenic intervention "Performance dos Esquecidos". The work was presented at events such as Pioneer Day (2015), Museum Week (2016), and Coffee Week (2017).
In 2016, he worked as an artistic advisor on the Ademar Guerra Project and taught sociology and philosophy to high school students at Centro Paula Souza. During the same year, he became involved with the taiko group Hibiki Wadaiko, from the Nikkey Association of Marília. This involvement definitively brought him closer to the field of Japanese studies. Additionally, he served as a judge at the 10th FETUSC - Student Theater Festival of the Sagrado Heart University Center (UNISAGRADO) in Bauru/SP. During the same period, at the invitation of the Evelina Grandis accordion group, he performed as a musician at the Coffee Week program at the Historical Museum of Londrina.
In 2018, he began his master's degree in Performing Arts at the University of Campinas. His dissertation, funded by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), was about contemporary taiko art, supervised by Prof. Dr. Eduardo Okamoto. Later, he became a member of the Asia Art Studies Group (GEAA), led by Profs. Dr. Michiko Okano/UNIFESP and Dr. Atílio José Avancini/USP, comprising professors, researchers, artists, and students. In the same year, he produced the show "Taiko no Hibiki - A Vibração dos Tambores Japoneses", which was selected through the SESI-SP Art and Culture Territory Call for Proposals.
In 2019, he joined the Center for Oriental Studies, linked to PUC São Paulo, under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Christine Greiner. As part of his teaching internship activities at Unicamp, he collaborated as assistant director and taiko player in the play "Festa do Peixe". The work presented the dramaturgy of Japanese writer Yu Miri to the Brazilian audience. Continuously, he worked on the research and dramaturgy of Hibiki Wadaiko's second show "Omoide no Sakura — As Memórias da Imigração Japonesa em Garça". Also in the same year, he played taiko on Amanda Gonsales' album "Sacro".
In 2020, he started his Ph.D. in Performing Arts at the same university. He then joined the general organization committee of the Internal Research Seminar of the PPG Performing Arts - Mario Santana. In the same year, he worked on the dramaturgy, research, and production direction of the show "Moriagaru Kokoro", which was selected through the Virada SP call for proposals, promoted by the Paulista Association of Friends of Art, in partnership with the São Paulo State Department of Culture and the Creative Economy
In 2021, he conducted workshops titled "The History of Japanese Drums: from Tradition to Resignification" and "The Art of Contemporary Taiko: War, Body, and Japanese Drums", funded by the Aldir Blanc Cultural Emergency Law (nº 14017/2020). He became a member of the Editorial Committee of the Proceedings of the PPG Performing Arts Research Seminars. As part of his teaching internship activities at Unicamp, he collaborated as assistant director in the play "Apenas o Fim do Mundo".
In 2022, he taught the course "The History of Japanese Drums" at Momonoki, a study platform about Japan that offers online courses and workshops conducted by experts in various fields. He also served on the general organizing committee of the Internal Research Seminar of the PPG Performing Arts - Mario Santana. In the same year, he published the book "The Body in Contemporary Taiko Art" by Annablume Publishing.
In 2024, he served as a judge for the annual Samba Schools parade in São Paulo.
From 2019 to 2023, he worked as a teaching intern in various disciplines of the Performing Arts undergraduate program at Unicamp, including "Integrated Scenic Creation Project III" (1st semester/2019); "Integrated Scenic Creation Project III" (1st semester/2021); "Principles of Scenic Action" (1st semester/2022); "Forms of Oriental Theater" (2nd semester/2022); "Integrated Scenic Creation Project III" (1st semester/2023).
He participated in and produced various relevant academic events, such as the ABRACE Congress, the International Congress of Japanese Studies in Brazil, the International Symposium on Japanese Immigration Museums, the Internal Research Seminar of the PPG Performing Arts - Mario Santana, the Meeting of Postgraduates in Japanese Studies, and the International Symposium Rethinking Contemporary Myths SOFIA: between knowing and not knowing in artistic processes, among others. He also collaborated, photographed, and performed in various other theater, dance, and music shows, festivals, congresses, and seminars.
Interested in themes related to theatrical interpretation, actor/actress/performer training, intercultural dialogue in actor's work, Japanese culture, Japanese theatrical art, and body studies.