Realm of the Dead is an installation/performance, freely adapted from Rogério Pinto’s award-winning play, Marília, about his sister who died in an accident in the street outside the family home when she was three years old and he just tenth months. Comprising a solo performance and an installation that serves as a set for that performance, Realm of the Dead is grounded in the work of the Brazilian theater artist Augusto Boal and in autoethnographic social work research and practice. These methodologies are recommended as vehicles for critical reflection, self-healing, personal growth, and advocacy.

The Realm of the Dead installation comprises more than thirty suitcases, each reflecting an aspect of Pinto’s multiple physical and spiritual journeys and representing the cemetery where Marília is buried. The performance, directed by Erwin Maas, also includes autobiographical material and explorations of ethnicity, race, gender, class, and other identities. The autoethnographic content of the piece has been reformatted into workshops for students at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work.