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ABOUT US

Teatro Viriato is a cultural project of programming and production of performing arts, located in a municipal building in the city of Viseu, but managed by a private association, namely Centro de Artes do Espetáculo de Viseu, Associação Cultural e Pedagógica (CAEV).

Defined by a very distinctive organizational model compared to other cultural institutions in Portugal, Teatro Viriato is considered a prime example of cultural decentralization in our country. Reopened in 1999, its mission is to raise the participation of all audiences in current artistic realities, promoting unfettered access to culture.

It boasts regular and diversified programming, as well as a developed support policy for national artists through co-productions and specific artist-in-residence programmes.

It’s financed by Câmara Municipal de Viseu and Direção Geral das Artes, but has also been working on the diversification of its sources of funding through supplementary means, namely donations obtained through a patronage framework and specific project applications to secure national and international funds. It is one of the founding partners of the programming network 5 Sentidos, of Rede Cultural Viseu Dão Lafões and Performart - Associação para as Artes Performativas em Portugal.

Among other distinctions, on September 19th, 2019, His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, awarded Teatro Viriato the Title of Honorary Member of the Order of Merit, as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.

MISSION

At Teatro Viriato we aim to incentivize the population of the city of Viseu to participate in current artistic realities.

Theatre must be a space open to discovery, discussion, learning and socialization.

Teatro Viriato allows us to bring our city closer to other cities, and other peoples, through art, developing and edifying our human dimension.

History

From Theatro Boa União to Teatro Viriato

On June 13th, 1883, Sociedade Filarmónica de Viseu inaugurated Theatro Boa União, after a difficult construction process, brought on by financial difficulties, that started when they bought the original plot of land in 1879.

Its inaugural programme is an integral part of Festas da Cidade [lit. City Celebrations] and is touted has the highpoint of the entire event. The opening shows, produced by Companhia de Teatro António Pedro, start off with the play “O Paralytico” followed, in the next days, by “O Negreiro”, “Roupa Branca”, “O Bebé, Amor e Dinheiro”, “O Saltimbanco”, “O Agiota, Em Maus Lençóis”, ending this veritable theatre marathon seven days later with the staging of “O Sargento Mor de Vilar”.

After several premieres by Companhia de Teatro da Cidade do Porto, it was time for Juan Molina’s Companhia Italiana de Ópera Lírica to take to the stage with Donizatti’s opera “La Favorite”.

After the presentation, between July 19th and 26th, 1883 of the comedies “O Capitão Carioca” and “O gaiato de Lisboa”, produced by Companhia do Teatro da Trindade, the theatre was forced to go on a hiatus for several months, after the dwindling number of spectators could no longer support and justify shows staged for multiple days. The theatre reopened its doors on December 1st and in that very same month instituted an admissions system based on subscriptions rather than individual tickets.

The age of cinema and the Theatre’s decline

Another novelty arrived at Theatro Boa União in February 1897, with the animatograph making its debut projecting films such as “Guerra Europeia”, “Quo Vadis”, among other films of romance and comedy. Thanks to the public’s understandable and unrelenting interest in the animatograph, cinema became the principal art form programmed in this venue – all great national and international theatre companies exited stage right.

In 1898, Theatro Boa União changed its name to Teatro Viriato.

In 1921, in the same street where Teatro Viriato stood, the Avenida Teatro opened its doors. It was considered one of the best theatres, at the time, with capacity for two thousand spectators and annex gardens. All shows of the 1926 edition of Festas da Cidade were already exclusively staged at Avenida Teatro. Its programmes, although presenting a wide range of options – from theatre plays, to music, to dance – was mainly filled with film screenings, as cinema was its main attraction.

The competition of this more modern cultural venue forced Teatro Viriato to close its doors in 1960. Curiously, in the very next year, Avenida Teatro also closed down.

Teatro Viriato’s Rebirth

In 1985, twenty-five years after closing, Teatro Viriato once again opens its doors, in an attempt of showing what remains of the stage hall. In a production by Área Urbana – Núcleo de Ação Cultural, sponsored by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and with the support of both Câmara Municipal de Viseu and Governo Civil do Distrito de Viseu, the play “Teatro de Enormidades Apenas Críveis à Luz Elétrica” takes to the stage. With texts by Aquilino Ribeiro, staged and performed by Ricardo Pais, Olga Roriz, Luís Madureira, António Emiliano, set design by António Lagarto and lighting by Orlando Worm, it was a part of the Centenário de Aquilino Ribeiro celebrations (September). Teatro Viriato relives, momentarily, the glory of its golden days thanks to stage director Ricardo Pais. This was the first step and the impetus behind the numerous proposals submitted by Área Urbana – núcleo de ação cultural for the rehabilitation of Viseu’s only Theatre stage.

Between 1986 and 1996, several interventions eventually lead to the reconstruction of Teatro Viriato’s building. In 1996, Companhia Paulo Ribeiro presents the Teatro Viriato Programming and Administration project, to be financed by Câmara Municipal de Viseu and Ministério da Cultura. The reanimation of this venue was a means to offer audiences regular access to performative arts of renowned professional, technical and artistic value, putting the city of Viseu on the map as a feasible stopping point for national and international companies who wished to take their shows on tour. On January 29th 1999 the first season of Teatro Viriato’s new life was inaugurated, with the presentation of the play “Raízes Rurais, Paixões Urbanas” by Ricardo Pais, in a new version specially staged for this occasion.

An example of Public Service

Throughout the years, Teatro Viriato has become an undeniable example of public service in culture and won several awards and accolades. In 1999, CAEV was contemplated with Prémio Almada (dance), instituted by IPAE, “for a programming philosophy capable of engaging the surrounding community, nourishing it within the context of artistic production and circulation, as well as through the development of its educational facets.” In 2010, CAEV was recognised as Instituição de Utilidade Pública [Public Benefit Organization] (Dispatch N.o 4213/2010, February 26th, published in Diário da República, 2nd series, N.o 48, March 10th 2010, World Theatre Day). On September 19th 2019, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, awarded Teatro Viriato with the Title Honorary Member of the Order of Merit, during the celebration of the institution’s twnety-year anniversary.