More than 100 proposals for theatre, music, dance and literature S. Luiz

Dsixteen projects in the areas of thought and literature, four interventions in the public space, a performance and an installation are also included in the next season of S. Luiz, in a program to be carried out from September this year to July 2027, in which the artistic direction of the theater, assumed by Miguel Loureiro, promises to "defying conventions and crossing artistic boundaries, in a creation plan organized in multiple categories".

“ At the heart of this vast and eclectic programming, São Luiz elects a handful of great moments that serve as a compass for what is coming”, opening the ‘rentrée’ with jazz, in the second edition of Picadeiro Fest2026, which brings together a “comprehensive program, in which there are several perspectives and currents of the current music, in a curatorship of the musician João Pereira”.

From 09 to 13 September, in Largo do Picadeiro and in the rooms Bernardo Sassetti and Mário Viegas, the public will have shows with The Batucadeiras das Olaias, saxophonist Albert Cirera and drummer Ramon Prats and the DUOT (Catalunha), who join the Portuguese string quartet ZARM Ensemble, in a sextet in which they will improvise in dialogue, without hierarchies or fixed roles, reads in the programming of the new season of S. Luiz.

The quartet of Gonçalo Marques, Norberto Lobo, with “Solo”, and the Portuguese-American trio Rhizome, with Daniel Levin (violoncello), Hernâni Faustino (contrabass) and Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), are also included in the program of Picadeiro Fest2026.

The theater program opens on September 16, in the Luis Miguel Cintra room, with August Stindberg’s play “O father”, in a performance by Gonçalo Waddington, which will remain on stage until the 27th.

“Caminho do Céu”, by Juan Mayorga, in a creation of Rita Cabaço, on stage in the room Mário Viegas, from 30 September to 11 October, “Mal na Raiz”, from the myth of Antigona, with dramaturgy and staging of Guilherme Gomes, from 14 to 18 October, in the room Bernardo Sassetti, and in national premiere “Under the Shape of a Tree I Sat and Wept”, theatrical project created by artists from Europe and Africa, by Jeton Neziraj, with staging of Blerta Neziraj and dramaturgy by Greg Homann, from 23 to 25 October, in the room Luis Miguel Cintra, stand out among other options in theater.

Through archives and testimonies, in “Under the Shape of a Tree I Sat and Wept” (“Under the shadow of a tree, I sat down and wept”, in free translation), a group of artists “explore forgiveness as the cornerstone of social healing and human cohesion”, inspired by two “historical landmarks”: the Blood Risha Reconciliation Campaign in Kosovo (1990) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa (1995), a spectacle that reflects “on how societies and individuals face deep traumas and cycles of violence”, reads in the constant synopsis of programming.

“In silence”, a text and staging by Teresa Sobral, on 24, 25, 30 and 31 October and 1 November, in the room Mário Viegas, part of documents and testimonies of people who lived the 48 years of dictatorship in Portugal, inviting the public to make an “immersive journey” at the time.

“The unknown islands”, by Raúl Brandão, in a theatrical version and staged by Sara Gonçalves, from 10 to 20 December, in the room Luis Miguel Cintra, is also included in the theater proposals.

This program also includes “Afro Saloyá”, “a concert-pop-ritualistic show and an Afro Saloia artist”, created and played by Isabél Zuaa, who did not get to be premiered in Guimarães but will be in the Mário Viegas room from January 20 to 24, 2027, as well as “Who killed Allan Poe?”, with artistic direction and staging by Carla Maciel, from December 11 to 20.

At the international level, the British choreographer Akram Khan will return to Lisbon with the company’s latest production, “Thira: Night of Rememering”, from 5 to 7 February 2027, in the Luis Miguel Cintra room, in a show that brings together “bharatanatyam dancers and contemporary dance in a creative collaboration that crosses cultures and hybrid perspectives”, adds the programming of S. Luiz.

The full programme of S. Luiz also includes performances of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra (October 5), Cristina Clara (November 03), Surma (19 November), Miguel Araújo (25 November), Juvenile Symphony Orchestra (November 27), Armada Band (November 29), Dutch pianist and composer Joep Beving (January 26) and the Tristes Tigres (the following day), among others.

“Oresteia de Ésquilo” , with the translation and dramaturgy of José Pedro Serra, with the performance of Bruno Bravo, in a coproduction of S. Luiz with the company First Symptoms, from 24 February to 20 March, the performance “Ki.Ne.Ma.Tik”, by Karnart, from 6 to 0 April, the opera “Diálogos das Carmelitas”, by Francis Poulenc, by the Metropolitan Academic Orchestra, on 22 and 24 April, are also options in S. Luiz.

The next season will close with the Prague Theatre opening “For a Brief History of Fire”, by André e. Theodosio and José Maria Vieira Mendes, from 30 June to 11 July, in the second show of a cycle of the company dedicated to the five elements, “in a moment of planetary urgency”.

“ In an approach of listening and not of affirmation, each element assumes the role of narrator and protagonist, leaving human beings the role of guests ", concludes the programming of S. Luiz on the play, which counts with actor Miguel Guilherme in the cast.

In the presentation of next season, S. Luiz highlights “new steps in the way he takes care of accessibility to the Theatre”. To this end, he invited the musician, actor and photographer “blind” Aliu Sane Baio, for Accessibility consultant at Teatro São Luiz, to help identify the needs of the institution and of those who visit it, in order to improve the offer to the public “with disabilities, specific needs or conditioned mobility”.

In a joint work with the Varieties-Capitol Theatre, São Luiz advances to a partnership with the VEM project, an assisted mobility service so that the lack of support or company is not a reason to stay home.

“ With the help of trained guides, the project ‘gives the arm’ to those who need safe accompaniment to go to the theatre and enjoy the culture with total autonomy’, in an “ideal solution for seniors, with visual impairment or conditioned mobility who wish to continue to attend showrooms with greater security and dignity”, in a free service in which the transport is carried out by the viewer”, S. Luiz advances.

The full programme of the season for being consulted on the internet theater site.