Artistic director considers “historical” reopening of Theatre D. Maria II

“IT IS absolutely a striking moment in the history of this institution, it does not seem to me that in the coming years, it would risk even decades, there will be a work of this dimension ", stressed Pedro Penim in an interview with the agency Lusa on the eve of the reopening of the theater, closed since the beginning of 2023 for requalification works under the Plan of Recovery and Resilience (PRR).

The reopening was initially planned for 2024, but in November 2023 it was postponed for the first time to the beginning of 2025, with successive delays.

The reopening of that theater in Rossio has generated a “very great expectation”, which, for Pedro Penim, “is understandable”, since “people are very attached” to what is done there.

“ And if it is true that it did not stop the activity, we walked through more than 100 municipalities, not only with shows, but with a panoply of activities, [and] finally the time has come to open doors here of Rossio building and to present our programming that is very imbued of this time we were away”, added the artistic director of the theater.

For Pedro Penim, “it is obvious” that the return does not happen “in the same way” as the departure.

“There is a legacy that D. Maria has left and that will be completed now with this reopening”, he stressed.

From the 18th to the 20th, the National Theatre reopens at a party, with several free entry initiatives, subject to ticket lifting, including the premiere of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, staged by Penim and with a cast including Barbara Branco, Hugo Van Der Ding and José Raposo.

Asked about why he reopened the theater with “Macbeth”, Pedro Penim told Lusa that he had long liked to “reopen with a classic”, without knowing what Portuguese or international work would be.

After several readings and experiences, Pedro Penim eventually chose to reopen the same Shakespeare tragedy that was on stage on the “fatid” night of December 2, 1964 when a fire devastated the theater almost completely.

As “Macbeth” is a piece “which is surrounded by superstitions and curses”, having even happened many strange things in various productions, “the 1964 fire has added an even more dramatic layer to it”, noted the artistic director.

For this reason, to Pedro Penim it seemed to him “on the one hand provocative, on the other hand establishing a dialogue with the history of the building itself, the institution returning to a play that was never produced” in the theater and that is “obviously an iconic and fundamental play, very relevant in dramaturgy and at the same time has this very close relationship with what is the history of Don Maria”.

The three days of the reopening of the D, Maria II will have free entry and have as a highlight the premiere of “Macbeth”, in the renewed Garrett Room, by 18:00, on the 18th. At 9:30 p.m., Rossio will be at a party with a show of videoomapping and DJ Beatbombers, Marfox and Zengxrl, which will last until 1:00 a.m.

On the 19th, between 11:00 and 3:30 p.m. there are visits to the theatre and, at 4:00 p.m., the book “Macbeth” will be released, with a new recitant of “Macbeth” at 6:00 p.m.

Visits to the theatre continue on the 20th, at the same time as the day before, while at 16:00 is scheduled a show entitled “Couro do recommeço”, taking place in various places of the building and, at 18:00 new recito of “Macbeth”.

“Macbeth” will be on the scene seven weeks, from 18 September to 31 October, with recites on Wednesday and Thursday and Saturday, at 19:00, on Friday, at 21:00, and on Sunday, at 16:00.

With the staging and translation of Pedro Penim, Ana Coimbra, Ana Tang, Barbara Branco, Bernardo de Lacerda, Hugo Van Der Ding, João Grosso, José Neves, José Raposo, June João, Sandro Feliciano, Stela and Vítor Silva Costa are playing.

The production of D. Maria II has setography of Joana Sousa, costumes of BÉHEN (Joana Duarte), composition and sound drawing of Filipe Baptista, light of Daniel Worm d’Assumption and in the dramaturgical support for translation was Maria Sequeira Mendes.

At the point are Barbara Barradas, Carolina Lobato and in the performance assistance Joana Brito Silva.