Grace Passô’s play KILL YOUR FATHER comes to the Voila! Festival next month, produced by Expandido Theatre Group.
“For the first time in the UK, the critically acclaimed punk-drama KILL YOUR FATHER— a radical reimagining of the Medea myth by black lesbian Brazilian playwright Grace Passô—takes the stage. Maria Paula — a Latina woman, an immigrant, a feminist, a rebellious actor—is now Medea.
When The Medea was originally written, it was performed only by men for a male audience. It’s time to change the narrative. KILL YOUR FATHER is for the feminists, the women, and their allies only.
The play powerfully exposes the limits of patriarchy in our society. It’s raw, it’s poetic, and it’s killingly poignant.”
Where: Etcetera Theatre
When: 5-7 Nov
Ticket link: https://www.voilafestival.co.uk/events/kill-your-father/
Director Marcio Beauclair and performer Maria Paula Carreño tell us more about KILL YOUR FATHER.
Tell me a bit about your show. Where did the idea come from?
Marcio: This is an existing play written by black feminist Brazilian playwright Grace Passô. We (with Renato Baldin – set and costume designer) saw it in Brazil in its original Portuguese version and thought about translating it into English because it is such an urgent theme everywhere!
Medea, originally in Greece, the most important female character in theatre, was represented by a man! After seeing this version of Medea through Mata Teu Pai “Kill Your Father”, we knew we needed to translate it and tour it.
Why should audiences choose your show? How would you sell it in one sentence?
Marcio: Kill Your Father, a political one woman show, is a reimagining of the Medea story that questions a patriarchal system that suffocates women, immigrants, and queer people.
Maria Paula: This play is an honouring to all women. I invite every woman, every immigrant, and all who love theatre and the Medea story, to join me as we, together, go through the motions that brilliant Grace Passô has written for us to unravel, feel, and unite.
What does being part of the Voila! Festival mean to you?
We both agree that:
Voila! is all about multiculturalism, it is also a festival that hosts a variety of work that pushes boundaries, both themes that Kill Your Father embraces.
We are also thrilled to see this work travel ourside of Brazil for the first time, and be showcased around the world like it deserves to be. It is not cultural specific, it is a message for the masses.
How did you make a start in the industry?
Maria Paula: I was a dancer as a child and became an actor by chance through my love for dance.
Moving from Colombia to Canada as an adult, I would say that going to school for performing arts in Canada and building relationships with my mentors there, offered me my first steps.
However, making my own work, and collaborating with colleagues is what has opened the doors wider for me.
What’s next for the show?
Marcio: We will have a full run of the show in Toronto, Canada for the spring 2026, after that we wish to continue touring the show everywhere we can!
We don’t know if or when we will be back in London, and so we invite everyone to join us on November 5, 6 and 7 at The Etcetera Theatre in Camden.
This is a show that no woman, no immigrant, or their allies should miss!