In 2025, while renovation work continues on its building in the centre of Lisbon, the Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II returns with its programming to the capital, hosted by two partner venues: the recently reopened Teatro Variedades and the Jardins do Bombarda. Continuing the work begun with the National Odyssey [Odisseia Nacional] project, in 2023, the theatre's activity continues to reach all regions of the country, with shows on tour, artistic participation projects, training and thinking activities.
In Lisbon, at Teatro Variedades, the 2025 programming officially kicks off with the return to the stage of A Farsa de Inês Pereira, a creation by Pedro Penim, artistic director of the Dona Maria II. A show that revisits a classic of Portuguese dramaturgy, ‘the most perfect play’ by one of its main authors, Gil Vicente, bringing the narrative of a bourgeois woman at odds with society into contemporary times and casting a critical eye on some of the realities of the present – work, sexuality and the family unit.
Bragança receives the show Terminal (O Estado do Mundo), by the Formiga Atómica company, a allegorical and philosophical creation about the climate emergency. Serpa hosts the open lab Corpo T - Corpo Terra, a session of exchange and dialogue about the project that Ritó Natálio has been developing for the last three years, as part of the European project STAGES (Sustainable Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift), and which addresses issues related to sustainability, body transition and gender identity.
Boca Aberta, D. Maria II's project for children, this year includes two mirror shows, featuring artists from the municipalities where the project will be running for three years. Lagos is the first to host activity, with Conversas de Boca Aberta, followed by Ourém, where one of the shows, Cabe mais um?, will be premiered and the workshop for childhood educators will take place.
To the south, in Faro, Quis saber quem sou - um concerto teatral begins its national tour as part of the Rede Eunice Ageas, a network aimed at disseminating Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II’s productions and co-productions. This initiative seeks to showcase them, in partnership with municipal theatres, across various parts of Portugal, thereby increasing access to quality theatre in regions where such opportunities are less frequent or regular. Quis saber quem sou - um concerto teatral, which premiered in 2024, the year marking the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese revolution, revisits this historic event and the atmosphere the country experienced before, during, and after it. The show uses politically charged songs to reflect on the historical date as well as the timeless struggle for freedom and justice. Starring young people who sing the ‘songbook of the Revolution’ and chant words of emancipation, it will have several performances for schools during this tour—starting in Faro and followed by Penafiel, Guimarães, Viseu, Covilhã, Águeda, and Vila Real.
