A man with a beard and mustache lies on his side, eyes closed, resting his head on his arm in a dimly lit setting.
Two men in beige pants, shirtless, face each other in a dramatic, low-lit dance pose with outstretched arms, appearing to balance and resist each other on a dimly lit stage.
A bearded man kneels shirtless on the ground, splashing water from a black bucket onto his shoulder, with a dark background and dramatic lighting highlighting his muscles.
Four people in rustic clothing and boots sit side by side on a ledge in a dark, dramatic setting, each with different expressions and poses, illuminated by a strong spotlight.
An older woman with short, wavy gray hair stands in dramatic lighting, wearing a dark shawl and looking intently off-camera against a black background.

Tom at the Farm

ABOUT

The funeral is over. The lying has just begun.

Tom drives out from the city for his boyfriend’s funeral and discovers the family never knew their son was gay. His brother intends to keep it that way. What grows between them is stranger than a standoff: threats that slide into tenderness, a grieving stranger pulled deeper into a family that will not let him leave or let him be known.

Rodrigo Portella stages Michel Marc Bouchard‘s play on a ring of open earth that comes to stand for a whole country turning back on itself. Winner of the top prizes of the Brazilian stage, the production has built an acclaimed international trajectory, with performances in Montreal, Avignon, Paris, Brussels, a tour across France, Switzerland and Belgium, a successful season at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and most recently in South Korea. It now makes its U.S. premiere at NYU Skirball on its way to London’s Barbican.

ADVISORY
This production features sexual content and nudity.

RUN TIME
Approximately 2 hours, no intermission

LANGUAGE
This production is performed in Portuguese with English subtitles. 

Three reasons to go

AHEAD OF THE CURVE – Following an acclaimed international trajectory, the production makes its U.S. premiere at NYU Skirball before heading to London’s Barbican.

AWARD WINNING – One of the most decorated Brazilian productions of the past decade, honored with major Brazilian and international theater awards and acclaimed at leading festivals and venues around the world.

DRAMATIC THRILLS – A taut psychological thriller that turns a single farmhouse into a pressure cooker of desire, threat, and silence.

THE ARTISTS

Rodrigo Portella

Rodrigo Portella

Michel Marc Bouchard

Michel Marc Bouchard

Armando Babaioff

Armando Babaioff

CREATIVE CREDITS

Based on the play by: Michel Marc Bouchard
Adapted by: Armando Babaioff
Director: Rodrigo Portella

Cast: Armando Babaioff, Denise Del Vecchio, Iano Salomão, Camila Nhary

Set Designer: Aurora dos Campos
Lighting: Tomás Ribas
Costume Design: Bruno Perlatto
Musical Direction: Marcello H.
Choreography and Movement: Toni Rodrigues
Lighting Technician: Tiago D’Avila
Stage Technician and Set Maintenance: José Baltasar and Fernanda Gonzaga

Social Media: Victor Novaes
Press Office Coordination: JSPontes
Executive Production (Brazil): Dalila Tardelli, Priscilla Kern and Marisol Couri
International Executive Production: Marcelo Veloso
Production Management: Sérgio Saboya and Silvio Batistela – Galharufa Produções
Administrative / Financial: Letícia Napole – Vianapole Arte e Comunicação

BEYOND THE STAGE
A man sits alone on a bench in dim lighting, with soft, out-of-focus circular lights in the foreground creating a dramatic, moody atmosphere.

Indefinite Articles

Tom at the Farm

María José Zubieta on “Tom at the Farm”

We cannot assume that we have fully understood another culture simply because we have found words to represent it.

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A person stands as a burst of red powder or liquid explodes outward from their body against a black background, creating a dramatic visual effect.

Study Guides

Tom at the Farm

Prep School: Tom at the Farm

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PRESS

A visceral voyage that you take at your own risk. It is bold and bloody but still beautiful. In its own dark, twisted way, it shines a light on homophobia and grief and unashamedly forces you to sit up and face reality

British Theatre Guide (on TOM AT THE FARM) British Theatre Guide (on TOM AT THE FARM)

Violent beauty bordering on the sublime… an exceptional theatrical moment

Journal La Terrasse (on TOM AT THE FARM) Journal La Terrasse (on TOM AT THE FARM)

A staggering study of homophobia. Coupled with the stately pace of a broody, intense production, it makes this farm not just a reactionary backwater, but a cultural dead end. The play becomes not just about the death of a son but about the death of hope. It is as cruel as it is mesmerising

The Guardian (on TOM AT THE FARM)

SUPPORT

NYU Skirball’s programs are made possible in part with support from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation; Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels; Culture Ireland; New York Community Trust; The Shubert Foundation; Collins Building Services; Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Goethe Institut New York with support from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany; Adam Mickiewicz Institute; Polish Cultural Institute; Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation through the Theatre & New Forms program; Consulate General of Switzerland in New York; Harkness Foundation for Dance; and Marta Heflin Foundation; as well as our valued donors through memberships, commissioning, and Allies for Arts Access Fund support.

DIGITAL PROGRAM

Explore our Digital Program to learn more about this production.