“Pessoa”, a creation by Robert Wilson with texts by Fernando Pessoa, to be presented in March 2025, is one of the central events of the 2024-2025 season of Teatro S. Luiz, in Lisbon, which today announced its programming.
Maria de Medeiros will be the protagonist of “Pessoa – Since I have been me”, which will take to the stage of the Luis Miguel Cintra Hall on March 7 and 8, 2025, after having premiered in Florence in May and in Paris in November.
“It’s the first time that one of the main masters of theater has taken on one of the geniuses of Portuguese literature and put on a show that I think is magnificent, I’ve seen it,” said the artistic director of Teatro S. Luiz, Miguel Loureiro, in statements to the Lusa news agency.
This is a “major investment by S. Luiz”, co-producer of the play in Portugal, and an investment “also in the symbolic capital of the city, the city of Pessoa”, stressed Miguel Loureiro, welcoming the challenge thrown down to them by another of the play’s co-producers, the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, directed by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota.
Premiered in May in Florence, the play will take to the stage of the Théâtre de La Ville in November.
S. Luiz’s 2024-2025 season opens with music, with two different shows by Júlio Resende: a musical, “Fado Jazz – Filhos da revolução”, on September 13, “a journey through the Portuguese musical soul and a celebration of Freedom, the 50th anniversary of April 25 and the relationship with Africa” and, a day later, another musical show with Almo.
“Continuing and increasing the vitality of a theater that is central to the city, at a time when we have several theaters closed due to works or because they have been lost, as is the case with the Teatro Nacional de S. Carlos,” with which S. Luiz has an institutional partnership and which closes for works on August 1, or the D. Maria II, “which is still moving around,” or the Teatro da Politécnica, which has closed, is the goal of the new season, added Miguel Loureiro.
That’s why we have to be “aware that S. Luiz is a vital hub at the moment” in the city center.
Hence the diversity of disciplines and programming, which is increasing in number of events as well as hosting musical concerts, from pop-rock to classical and jazz, but also popular music, improvised music, world music and music festivals, such as the Antena 2 Festival.
Performances by the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra, five concerts by the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, the São Carlos “Open Foyer” cycle, which will now be held at the S. Luiz, and an opera yet to be named, are among the musical proposals.
“In times of war – we have two wars in the world, we have politics going to extremes, polarizing in a scandalous way – in times of assumed war and really deep crisis, we sing and dance,” Miguel Loureiro said about the new season.
“These are not futile gestures, nor are they just recreational gestures, as they say. They are gestures that help us understand ourselves based on what comes from the creation of the spirit. And in this sense, dance, singing, the word sustained in theater or poetry is important to measure us against this entropy, this chaos that is happening around us,” Miguel Loureiro stressed.
It’s not a question of seeing art as a “salvific identity”, he continued, but as something that “helps to put into perspective what is confusing us and helps us to better understand this time we’re in”.
A staged reading of “O mundo começou às 5 e 47”, by Luiz Francisco Rebello, marking the centenary of the birth of the writer, playwright, director and former director of S. Luiz, the thought cycle “O nosso futuro ainda humano”, curated by Carlos Pimenta, which will bring philosophers José Gil and Maria Filomena Molder to the theater, and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Galeria Zé dos Bois are other proposals for the new season.
In the dance area, there will also be “Blasons + Doesdicon”, with François Chaignaud, Tânia Carvalho and Dançando com a diferença, while the theater includes shows such as “Amedée ou Como Desembaraçar-se”, by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Ivo Alexandre, and the premiere of “Last call”, by Os Possessos, created and performed by Leonardo Garibaldi.
Samuel Úria, Miranda, Lena d’Água, who sang today at the presentation of the season, a flamenco festival, the Misty Fest Festival, Maria João, Tony Ann, Sem Helbig, a concert by Cristina Branco revisiting songs by José Afonso are also on the program.
Martim Sousa Tavares will continue to be present at S. Luiz, at one point with the Orquestra do Algarve and, at another, with Catarina Wallenstein, in an evening dedicated to Kurt Weill.
These proposals are joined by Pedro Jóia and a Richard Strauss recital by Nuno Vieira de Almeida and Rita Blanco.
Arthur Miller’s “The Witches of Salem”, staged by Nuno Cardoso for the Teatro Nacional S. João, the O Útero company staging Shakespeare, Carla Bolito tackling the work of Nathalie Serraute and the “In Time” cycle, in which Marco Paiva’s Terra Amarela structure will occupy the Mário Viegas hall, are on the theater program.
From Australia, Paulo Castro and his wife will present “Macbeth”, in Heiner Müller’s version, while the Women’s School will pay homage to its founder Fernanda Lapa, in “Fernanda is wanted!”.
Hotel Europa, Raquel André and Keli Freitas are other names on the S. Luiz program.
The 2024-2025 season will close with Seneca’s “The Trojans”, staged by Renata Portas, to be performed from July 10 to 13, 2025.
