The Livraria Letras Lavadas will transform into a landscape of volcanoes, stories, poetry, and imagination next Saturday, May 16, at 3 p.m., with the presentation of the children’s musical-theatrical performance Das Profundezas da Terra dos Sonhos (“From the Depths of the Land of Dreams”), created and performed by Filipa Gomes.

Designed for children between the ages of three and six, the itinerant performance blends music, literature, sound, movement, and poetry into an immersive experience intended to stimulate imagination and attentive listening among younger audiences.

Participation is limited to fifteen children, reinforcing the intimate and interactive nature of the event.

The production draws inspiration from three works of Azorean children’s literature: Contos a Rimar Histórias de Espantar by Maria das Mercês Pacheco and Tomaz Borba Vieira, published by Letras Lavadas Edições; Miguel dos Botões by Blanca Martín Calero and Matilde Horta; and O Mundo de Gaspar Frutuoso, connected to the Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso.

From these literary sources, Filipa Gomes constructs a fantasy narrative in which characters from different stories intersect and guide children toward an imaginary world hidden within the interior of a volcano — an especially resonant image within the volcanic geography of the Azores themselves.

The performance combines live musical elements with storytelling and theatrical expression, creating what organizers describe as a sensory and poetic experience where listening becomes as important as seeing.

The project is supported by PARES – Anda&Fala and the Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso.

Filipa Gomes is currently completing a master’s degree in Music Education and holds a degree in Performance with specialization in violin. In recent years, she has developed artistic work spanning interpretation, declamation, sound art, and children’s creation, increasingly focusing on multidisciplinary experiences for younger audiences.

Her recent productions include the musical-theatrical works As Aventuras da Bzz (2025), Toca TuQui (2026), and now Das Profundezas da Terra dos Sonhos.

Her artistic path has also included collaborations with Luís Senra in projects exploring the relationship between art and nature, participation in film productions, and theatrical collaborations with director Eleonora Marinho Duarte.

Alongside her artistic work, Gomes teaches violin at the Escola de Música de Rabo de Peixe.

In an era increasingly dominated by screens, accelerated rhythms, and fragmented attention, productions such as Das Profundezas da Terra dos Sonhos seek to reclaim something more elemental: the slow and communal act of listening to stories together.

Inside a bookstore on a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic, children will once again descend into the interior of imagination itself — where music, poetry, and myth still echo like hidden chambers beneath the earth.

Translated and adapted from a story in Diário dos Açores, Paulo Viveiros, director.