Help us build a community theatre and permaculture garden near Nazaré, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  ✨🎪WELCOME! 🎪✨
  
  We are in the very beginning phases of creating a beautiful Circus School, Theatre and Permiculture Garden at the edge of a small Portugese Village. Out here it is a mix of hard work, beautiful nature, creation and laughs with the locals.
  
  PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR SPECIFIC UPCOMING PROJECTS IN 2024
  They include:
  Garden Management and Design
  Tiny House Construction
  Performance Demonstrations To Promte Our Events
  Cleaning and House Maintenance
  
  
  
  ✨🎪ABOUT US🎪✨
  
  Hello, I'm Flame🔥 a kiwi lass; and my greatest passion in life has been performing aerial acrobatics in circuses, cabarets and festivals, before my career was brought to an abrupt ending by a trapped nerve. I spent the following years as a digital nomad, directing my children's entertainment agency from vanlife in the UK, and teaching circus skills in Europe, Asia and Egypt. I have assisted in running two non-profit circus schools before, in England and Egypt, and I'm excited to be working with the local Alcobaça community in starting up this new project from scratch.
  
  My dream is an environment where people of all ages and abilities can learn performance skills; and artists of every kind have space to create, and support each other, while being close to nature. It will be an exciting and heartwarming project to be part of, especially as we will be starting almost from scratch with the bare bones...
  
  The century old, wooden shuttered, casa Brasileiras of Portugal took my imagination when I saw them online. There is something so dramatic, yet graceful in the solid stone walls and carefully crafted plaster and wooden trimmings. These stunning traditional houses could so easily become a theatre, an art studio, or a circus retreat centre, while retaining their original character.
  
  Currently what we have is a beautiful old house built in around 1900. The house is one of the oldest in the village, it's ground floor used to be for salting pork, crushing grapes and bedding the animals; the second floor has a traditional kitchen, bedrooms, some exciting looking old furniture and a space that would make an excellent small theatre, with a fly tower and aerial drop coming from the attic above. There is 4425m2 of land bordered by a stream, a well and some fruit trees. The house is such a beautiful and inspiring space, with lots of little crafted flourishes, and treasures left by the families of old, it is an exciting project to work on, and when finished a very special place for the community.
  
  My plan is to create a yoga/dance/fine arts/circus space with bedrooms for guests, camping outside and parking for trucks and campervans. A permiculture style decorative flower, vegetable and herb garden would provide for the guests. It would be amazing if the property could go completely off grid, though I imagine generating enough electricity would be a challenge. I have ideas for a huge hot tub with a Japanese style wysteria arch above it, and for theming each floor of the building.
  
  BUT all of this is s going to be a LOT of work and several years in creation! We are waiting for planning permission and still trying to find the right structural engineers who can advise on the big jobs... Taking out internal walls and strengthing the roof so the aerial acrobatics can be performed inside.
  
  
  ✨🎪OUR LOCATION:🎪✨
  This workaway project is situated on the edge of a little traditional Portuguese village called Alpedriz. There is a cafe/bar 3 minutes walk from the front door, a grocery shop, an ATM and a medical centre. The rear garden of the house used to be part of a nature reserve, its very scenic and peaceful. There is an abandoned village 30 mins walk away, and a park with shallow river bathing 7 minutes walk away.
  
  The two nearest towns take 20 minutes to drive to. There is very little public transport, but I am happy to drop you in one or the other on Saturday morning and pick up in the evening:
  
  Nazaré is a very international town with soaring cliffs, sunny beach bars, cuisine from all over the world, a Brazilian dance club and an infinite number of surfing schools.
  
  Alcobaça is more traditionally Portugese with Art Noveau and Georgian architecture, a river and pumphouse, local family run restaurants; and the famous ornate coffins of the lovers Pedro and Ines, Portugal's real life Romeo and Juliet, in the Alcobaça Monastery.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  ✨🎪MEETING THE LOCAL PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY 🎪✨
  
  The village of Alpedriz is small and charming, with family run stores, three very traditional cafe/bars just around the corner and friendly Portugese neighbours who are all very curious as to what we are doing with that big old house! The project is something that involves much of the Alpedriz Community, especially when we put on the showcases. Our technician, stage manager and onstage host are neighbours from Alpedriz, and volunteers will join the locals in setting up the shows, meeting council and community members for promotion, and joining in with traditional Portuguese festivals and fairs.
  
  At quieter times when we are working on construction and the permaculture garden, our neighbours often invite the volunteers for traditional barbecues and family dinners, and Joao from across the road, likes to organise bowling and pinball arcade nights, and pool tournaments at the local bar. Portugese Village life is very family oriented and I am lucky to be adopted as family by two of my next door neighbours, who like to feed my volunteers as well!
  
  ✨🎪CULTURAL SIGHT SEEING AND LOCAL FESTIVALS🎪✨
  The Portugese are big fans of festivals. In the summer months there are many small village fairs with a band hosting traditional songs and dances, food stalls including the famous bifana sandwich, and ceramic lotteries! Medieval festivals are also very special to the Portugese and celebrate both European and Arabic culture, as Portugal was once part of the Moorish Empire. You can try traditional mead and cherry liquors at these, and watch reinactments of medieval battles on horseback. If one is happening locally during your stay we will go for a Saturday out.
  
  Otherwise on Saturday's usually I am able to drop the volunteers off for the day in the seaside town of Nazare, which is famous for the world's largest wave, and the surfers who aim to break records riding it. Nazaré is still a fishing village where traditionally dressed fisherman's wives make dolls, or sell honeyed nuts for the tourists, and there are a variety of restaurants, and of course, the beach! Visitors can take surfing classes, visit the surf museum and lighthouse and enjoy touristic shopping. Other places my volunteers have liked to visit are Alcobaça for the Monastery tour and more traditional wine and liquor shops; and the city of Leira with windy cafe clad alleys and a castle.
  
  ✨🎪LEARNING NEW SKILLS🎪✨
  
  We have different projects going on all the time here and I hope volunteers will be open to trying and learn new skills. I'm also absolutely delighted to learn from my guests, and last year I discovered so much about building drainage systems, pruning trees, paving and some beginners carpentry, that now I can lead in these projects.
  
  In 2024 we will have different projects going on at different times, there is lots of opportunity to learn about landscaping and garden creation, building tiny homes with our professional carpenter Anand, and for those with a technical mind they are welcome to assist me in trying to solve structural problems and meetings with the council and engineers.
  
  Performance wise I teach fire eating, fire dance, aerial acrobatics and beginners hula hoop. Some or all of this will be included in the working hours for volunteers arriving to assist with the showcase modules.
  
  For those who are volunteering on gardening and construction projects, on Sunday's we usually have a fire spinning meeting where everyone can try out the equipment practise new skills. It's not compulsory, but if you would like to join in, and perhaps even learn to fire eat, you are very welcome 😊

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  Help

  We have three upcoming projects:
  
  FROM APRIL 2024:
  
  OPENING : Help me to set up and open this place for the 2024 season. I am looking for strong, pro-active people who can operate a strimmer, chop giant weeds, dig and lay a drainage pipe, move furniture and fumigate sections of the house for woodworm.
  ***We will also be starting aerial acrobatic classes and fire spinning practise sessions. It would be fantastic (but not compulsory) if the volunteers would like to join in (free of charge) and add some positive energy to our new training sessions.
  
  
  
  BUILDING A TINY HOUSE: I need two volunteers interested in tiny house construction to work with our professional carpenter Anand on our first building project in the garden. Volunteers will be working split shifts (one starting morning and one starting afternoon) to assist and support Anand, and also help me continue taming the garden and setting up the basement for builders who will be taking on a big flooring project later on in the year.
  ***Again, we will also be starting aerial acrobatic classes and fire spinning practise sessions. It would be fantastic (but not compulsory) if the volunteers would like to join in (free of charge) and add some positive energy to our new training sessions.
  
  
  PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE: In this 2nd year we are planning 3 public showcases with local students and volunteers. I am looking for people with skills in music, dance, aerial acrobatics, fire spinning, juggling and manipulation, magic, or any other performance skills who are willing to share their talents and learn new things. Applicants need to be willing to join in with group choreography, costume creation and all other aspects of the show. The volunteers programme will also include working on the house, for example: painting, sanding, weeding, cleaning, land clearing and cook, and possibly continuing to assist Anand with Tiny House construction.
  
  
  FUTURE PROJECTS WILL INVOLVE:
  
  Tanking an old water container and making an irrigation system
  Cementing a path around the star garden
  Building a large peacock house
  Creating a pond
  If you can lead, or would particularly like to help with any of those projects please let me know.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  I am happy to teach English and would really like to learn Portuguese.
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  Accommodation

  This project is not for the faint hearted! The house is not a ruin, but it has been abandoned for over 60 years before the project began. Volunteers will share a bunk room, and we will all share cooking duties on the camping stove set up under the kitchen chimney. The gas shower is hot, but can go cold mid-shower and needs to be turned off for 20 seconds before it heats up again. If anyone knows how to fix this, that would be fantastic!
  
  Food preparation is not part of the working hours, and food will be made from simple wholesome ingredients. At times we will take turns cooking, and cleaning the kitchen and bathroom. If you have a special diet or you want to use something that is not already stocked in the kitchen, you need to buy it yourself. Please let me know if you are omnivore or vegetarian. I am happy to provide food for gluten/lactose intolerant people.
  
  I have lots of beans chickpeas and tofu for vegans, but it would be best to have a friendly conversation about food before confirming. This is high protien / acrobatic training / meat-eating household and people with other requirements need to be relaxed.

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  What else ...

  Alpedriz has a cafe/bar with a pool table 3 minutes walk from my front door, a tiny grocery shop, an ATM and a medical centre. There is an abandoned village 30 mins walk away, and a park with shallow river bathing 7 minutes walk away with a trail the leads up the hill into a pine forest. It suits people who like walks, cycling and who can entertain themselves!
  
  I have two bicycles, and there is a bus that regularly goes backwards and forwards to Alcobaça.
  
  On Saturday's I am happy to drop you off in Nazaré, Alcobaça or at the Valado train station and pick you up again in the evening.
  
  If you have a vehicle, Alpedriz is 20 minutes drive from several lovely beaches, some famous for surfing and some more natural and enjoyable for swimming. There are stalagmite caves about 40 minutes away and lots of small castles to explore.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  Digital Nomads are welcome to work outside the volunteer hours. We have a satalite Internet connection (broadband is not available in our village) and there is also a connection in the two local bar/cafes.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  At the moment we have on street parking. There are almost no cars at all going past at night, I live on a very quiet road and the neighbours don't mind campers parked next to my house.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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