Viana do Castelo (Portugal) is preparing to celebrate World Theatre Day on 27 March with a special programme that combines reflexion and celebration. The Sá de Miranda Municipal Theatre will host ‘Chaimite, um possível musical’ (Chaimite, a possible musical), an unprecedented comedy by Fernando Gomes and Augusto Canário, which will be on stage from 27 March to 13 April. Fernando Gomes is a Portuguese actor, author and director with a career spanning more than 50 years and Augusto Canário is one of the most popular singers of Portuguese popular music. The good humour is reinforced by the largest cast of the year for one of the company's shows: a total of 12 actors will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of the dictatorship - the 25 April revolution - with a full house, promising to be one of the highlights of the celebrations, with 12 scheduled sessions, with accessibility guaranteed through simultaneous translation into Portuguese Sign Language and audio description in specific sessions. A sustainable theatre continues to be a focus for the company, with the team being particularly sensible to reducing the environmental impact of its operations. Find out more about our sustainable mission here.
At the same time, the message for World Theatre Day 2025, written by Greek educator and director Theodoros Terzopoulos, with a focus on a ‘Culture of Peace’ and a special dedication to the Ukrainian people and all the martyred people of the world, will continue to be disseminated throughout the year. This message, a tradition since 1962, invites reflexion on the role of theatre in building a more peaceful world. The official Portuguese translation was done by Teatro do Noroeste - Centro Dramático de Viana. We invite our audiences to read, listen to and share the message read on video by the company's team.
Teatro do Noroeste - Centro Dramático de Viana's programme for March and April also includes the presentation of ‘Um Museu Vivo de Memórias Pequenas e Esquecidas’ (A Living Museum of Small and Forgotten Memories) on 26 and 27 April, an award-winning show by Joana Craveiro. A show about memory, erasure, inscription and the writing of history. A 6-hour journey through the Portuguese 20th century (and some of the 21st), in which the artist explores stories of common people, involved in the strugle against the dictatorship and the colonial war of 1961-74, the "Carnation Revolution" and the revolutionary period in progress (PREC) which lasted until 1975.
‘Olha a Bruxa, Nicolau’ (Look at the Witch, Nicolau) is a show for all children, with a session on 12 April. Its title was found in the traditional Portuguese songbook and can also be an invitation to an ancestral journey. There are three women on stage: they could be the witches that Shakespeare invented to torment MacBeth, or the sorceresses and healers, daughters of those witches, that Maria Manuela Couto Viana - a Portuguese actress, declaimer and writer - mentions in her book ‘Bruxas, Defuntos, Fantasmas e Aparições’ (Witches, Dead,Ghosts and Apparitions).
Learn more about the Theatre and the Company at tmsm.pt and on social media - Instagram and Facebook: @teatrodonoroestecdv - @teatromunicipalsademiranda
