BIO
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, 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 program at the State University of Londrina (UEL) in Londrina, Paraná. During his undergraduate studies, he worked as a researcher on the project Klauss Vianna Technique and Body Dramaturgy: A Systemic Study of Movement, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ceres Vittori. As a result of these studies, the performance "Pés-De-deux" was created. The work premiered in 2012 at the Casa de Cultura of UEL. It was subsequently presented at the Arts Week of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, featured in the Londrina International Festival (FILO), and completed a short run at Teatro Usina Cultural in Londrina. During this period, he actively participated in research and teaching projects at UEL, focusing on theatre directing and production, staging, scenography, and audiovisual production. He also worked on the production staff of Teatro Ouro Verde.
In 2013, he staged his first solo performance, "Estações Mortas," at the Curitiba Theatre Festival, in Curitiba, Paraná.
In 2014, he collaborated on the Philosophical Cabaret project, conceived by Prof. Dr. Gabriel Giannattasio of the Department of History at the Center for Human Sciences (CCH) of UEL, serving as set designer for the event Cabaret Valentino – Pensamento e Ebriedade. The initiative included a series of activities, such as lectures by philosopher Viviane Mosé and columnist Xico Sá. Also in 2014, he worked as assistant director and casting coach for the short film Copo de Leite. Around the same time, he premiered the solo performance "Agora, é a Cerimônia do Adeus" at the Museu Histórico de Londrina. The work emerged from his undergraduate thesis, which investigated the relationships between memory, body, and artistic creation. Due to its contribution to the field, the thesis was recommended for publication by the examination committee. As part of his undergraduate project, he participated in the production "Eu Me Lembro", inspired by "After Life" by Hirokazu Koreeda, under the direction of Sandra Parra.
In 2015, he presented the solo performance "Agora, é a Cerimônia do Adeus" at the 16th Short Scenes Festival, held at Galpão Cine Horto in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. He subsequently premiered his first short film, "Os Olhos do Pássaro". Later that year, he served as an artistic collaborator on the UEL FM radio program "Estação Assum Preto", another project conceived by Prof. Dr. Gabriel Giannattasio.
In partnership with the Museu Histórico de Londrina, he created the scenic intervention "Performance dos Esquecidos". The work was presented as part of events such as Pioneer Day (2015), Museum Week (2016), and Coffee Week (2017).
In 2016, he worked as an artistic advisor for the Ademar Guerra Project and taught sociology and philosophy to high school students at Centro Paula Souza. During the same year, he joined Hibiki Wadaiko, a taiko ensemble affiliated with the Nikkey Association of Marília, São Paulo. This involvement marked the beginning of his engagement with Japanese studies. He also served as a judge at the 10th Student Theatre Festival of the University Center UNISAGRADO, in Bauru, São Paulo. During the same period, at the invitation of the Evelina Grandis accordion group, he performed as a musician during Coffee Week at the Museu Histórico de Londrina.
In 2018, he began his master’s degree in Performing Arts at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), in Campinas, São Paulo. His dissertation, funded by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES), was about contemporary taiko art, supervised by Prof. Dr. Eduardo Okamoto. Subsequently, he became a member of the Art Asia Study Group (GEAA), composed of professors, researchers, artists, and students, dedicated to the production and discussion of research in the field of Asian art, with a particular emphasis on Japanese art. 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, as part of his teaching internship activities at Unicamp, he worked as an assistant director and taiko performer in the play "Festa do Peixe". The work presented the dramaturgy of Japanese writer Yu Miri to Brazilian audiences. He subsequently worked on the research and dramaturgy of Hibiki Wadaiko’s second show, "Omoide no Sakura – As Memórias da Imigração Japonesa em Garça." In the same year, he also 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 was involved in the 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 School Parade in São Paulo. As part of his teaching internship activities at Unicamp, he worked as assistant director for the play Poema Gaivota, which combined Anton Chekhov’s four-act comedy "The Seagull" with songs recorded by Ney Matogrosso. In the same year, he began a doctoral research internship at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. The research focused on identifying and translating publications related to the art of wa-daiko, while advancing ongoing investigations into the transterritorial development of this artistic practice. This period enabled Garcia to deepen his studies through contact with previously analyzed groups and artists, as well as with new subjects that later became part of his doctoral dissertation.
Between 2019 and 2024, he served as a teaching assistant in various courses within the undergraduate program in Performing Arts 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), and "Integrated Scenic Creation Project III" (1st semester/2024).
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.
His research interests include the art of taiko, theatrical performance, actor and performer training, intercultural dialogue in the performing arts, Japanese cultural and theatrical practices, and body studies.
