Theatre in Portugal

Gil Vicente (1435-1536) is considered the first great Portuguese playwright. Frequently called the father of Portuguese theatre, he portrays the society of the 16th century. Following Molière’s well-known phrase “ridendo castigat mores”, Gil Vicente became famous for his satirical plays such as the “Triologia das Barcas” (“Auto da Barca do Inferno” (1517), “Auto da Barca do Purgatório” (1518); “Auto da Barca da Glória” (1518)). In these plays, he creates some characters who are representative of their social group. This results in not only comical, but also strong critical situations. Gil Vicente also wrote other important plays such as “Auto da Índia” (1509), “Auto da Fama” (1510), and “Farsa de Inês Pereira” (1523).
Another relevant playwright of the 16th century is António Ferreira (1528-1569), who wrote “A Castro” (1587), a well-known tragedy about the forbidden love between D. Pedro I and D. Inês de Castro. António Ferreira is considered the father of Renaissance culture in Portugal.
One of the most famous playwrights of the 18th century is António José da Silva (1705-1739), commonly known as “O Judeu” because of his Judaic origins. He wrote several plays such as “Os Encantos de Medeia” (1735), “As Variedades de Proteu” (1737) and “Precipício de Faetonte” (1738).
Almeida Garrett (1799-1854) was a turning point in Portuguese literature as far as the themes are concerned. His most outstanding play is “Frei Luís de Sousa” (1844), which became a classic of Portuguese theatre. Garrett also wrote “Um Auto de Gil Vicente” (1838), “Filipa de Vilhena” (1846) and “O Alfageme de Santarém” (1842). These three plays as well as “Frei Luís de Sousa” are somehow connected with Portuguese history. Furthermore, Garrett is also the founder of the “Conservatório Geral de Arte Dramática” as well as of the “Teatro Nacional D. Maria II”.
As far as the 20th century is concerned, it’s worth noticing Bernardo Santareno’s (1920-1980) work. His most famous play is “O Judeu”, based upon the life of António José da Silva, mentioned above. Santareno also wrote “A Promessa” (1957), “O Crime da Aldeia Velha” (1959) and “Anunciação” (1962). Most of his plays deal with universal questions such as liberty, oppression and discrimination.
Born in 1926, Luís de Sttau Monteiro (1926-1993) wrote several plays, some of them portraying and criticising Portuguese society of his time. His most famous play is “Felizmente Há Luar” (1961), which is a strong criticism of the political context of that time (dictatorship – Estado Novo). “O Barão” (1965), “A Guerra Santa” (1967) and “Sua Excelência” (1971) were also written by Sttau Monteiro.
In the 20th century theatre in Portugal became more popular with the “Revista” – a comical and satirical form of theatre. It is a creative way of expressing one’s ideas as well as criticising political and social problems. The most important actors who performed this form of theatre in the 20th century were Vasco Santana (1898-1958), Beatriz Costa (1907-1996) and Ivone Silva (1935-1987). Nowadays it is worth mentioning Maria João Abreu, José Raposo and Fernando Mendes, who perform this form of theatre at the well known “Parque Mayer” (a theatre in Lisbon where the “Revista” used to be performed).
Other outstanding Portuguese actors are Ruy de Carvalho, Eunice Muñoz, Rui Mendes, Irene Cruz and Luís Miguel Cintra.