a treasure in the palm of your hand
a tiny story about a huge place in the memory of EstarrejaM.3 . 00h06Inside a tiny box fits a whole world made of small grains, stories, and silences. In this miniature show, the audience peeks into the life of a child who grew up among rice grains, the rhythm of machines, and the murmur of the old Estarreja Hydroelectric Plant. In each grain, a memory; in each gesture, a factory that rises and disappears. An intimate portrait that rescues the value of those who lived and worked there, now on a scale that fits in the palm of your hand.
On the tiny stage, each grain of rice becomes a symbol of memory, of the streams that shaped the natural landscape of Estarreja, of the water that fed the factory turbine, and of the murmur of the machines.
Through the eyes of a child, we discover life inside the factory: the smells, the heat of the machines, the routine, and the hope. And when, at the end of the 1980s, the factory closes, the world around it changes, but the story is not lost. Reduced in scale, memory takes shape, inviting the audience to hold in the palm of their hand a living fragment of Estarreja's identity.
This is a show of evocation and small greatness, a tribute to the culture of rice, to industrial heritage, and to the people who made it all possible.
collaborators . partners . co-producers
PROMO DOSSIER - EN 1.1 MB
PROMO DOSSIER COMPRESSED - EN 414.1 KB
agenda
| 12 SEP 2026 . SATURDAY 13 SEP 2026 . SUNDAY | Museu Fábrica da História - Arroz, Estarreja, Aveiro | ■ ■ ■ |
theater in institutions
Since 2003, Teatro e Marionetas de Mandrágora has acted as a strategic partner in cultural mediation, implementing educational services that utilize puppetry as a vital tool for dialogue.Our institutional programs are widely disseminated across the country, providing venues with pedagogical tools designed to bridge the gap between institutions and their visitors. These are sensory-driven performances that invite the audience to engage through participatory contemplation.
By promoting Educational Service programs through the art of puppetry, we establish a unique rapport with the public. We aim to foster a global mindset—encouraging audiences to reflect, ponder, and, above all, cultivate new cultural habits. Integrated into heritage promotion and the decoding of artistic languages for young audiences, this project champions the puppet as a powerful vehicle for communication and learning within educational settings.