The Dona Maria II's programme for April and May includes celebrations – the 50th anniversary of the Revolution and the 500th anniversary of its national poet, Luís de Camões – as well as autofictions, literary adaptations and puppetry.
April is the month of Freedom for the Portuguese, who celebrate the Revolution that brought democracy to the country on 25 April, half a century ago last year. Pedro Penim, in Quis saber quem sou - um concerto teatral, revisits this historic date through the popular songs that were the soundtrack to those changes, brought to the stage by young performers. After touring the country, the show returns to Lisbon (a year after its premiere), for performances between 24 and 26 April, in one of the city's most iconic venues: the Coliseu dos Recreios.
After its premiere in Lisbon, Inês Vaz and Pedro Baptista's Auto das Anfitriãs, based on Luís de Camões, is touring the country as part of Próxima Cena, a project by Dona Maria II in partnership with the Fundação “la Caixa” and BPI, which takes new creations to areas with low population density, thus helping to correct asymmetries in access to culture.
Auto das Anfitriãs is one of two shows honouring the national poet, Luís de Camões, and his dramaturgical and poetic work, on the 500th anniversary of his birth. The other is Os Lusíadas como nunca os ouviu, in which actor António Fonseca embarks on a full performance of the epic poem, lasting more than 13 hours. The stage for this epic endeavour will be the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon.
In Ponte de Lima, Lagos and Ourém, the shows, moments of reflection and training that make up Boca Aberta, Dona Maria II's project for early childhood, continue to take place.
Also in Lisbon, will be presented the shows Homens Hediondos, a creation by Patrícia Portela based on Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, by David Foster Wallace; As Castro, in which Raquel Castro discovers the stories of her family ancestors, especially the women who preceded her; and, in the context of the partnership with FIMFA - International Festival of Puppetry and Animated Forms, the show A Sagração da Primavera, by the Dewey Dell company, based on the homonymous work by Igor Stravinsky.
Cover photo: © Filipe Ferreira
