The work by Dino D’Santiago, with dramaturgy by Rui Catalão and musical direction by Martim Sousa Tavares, is presented as part of the “Paraíso” cycle, celebrating in September the 50th anniversaries of the independence of Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP). This celebration is part of Theatro Circo’s program for the last four months of 2025, announced today in a communiqué sent to Lusa.
This cycle, which premiered in April 2023, aims to promote “a space for dialogue through live performances and discussions/debates reflecting themes of blackness in national urban music.”
The “Paraíso” takes place on September 18, 19, and 20, in an edition dedicated to Afro-descendant artistic expressions, celebrating the 50 years since PALOP independence.
On the first day, September 18, the documentary “Independência” (2015) by Angolan Mário Bastos, also known as Fradique, will be screened at gnration.
On September 19, the bookstore Centésima Página hosts the conversation “And after independence? From liberation struggles to today’s struggles,” and Theatro Circo presents the opera “Adilson,” created by Dino D’Santiago at the invitation of the BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts, running from September 10 to October 26 in Lisbon and Madrid.
For the cycle’s final day, September 20, a guided tour led by researcher Chisoka Simões is scheduled, “exploring colonial vestiges and symbols in Braga,” along with the presentation of the results of an artistic residency by plastic artist Ruben Zacarias on the colonial and bibliographic heritage of PALOP in the Public Library of Braga. There will also be a “double dose” of concerts with the “mythical” Banda Monte Cara and Fidju Kitxora, “one of the most exciting names in current music.”
The presentations and concerts take place at gnration.
Until the end of the year, during the last months when Braga serves as Portugal’s Capital of Culture, Theatro Circo’s program also highlights the premiere of a new play by Marco Martins in December, the presentation of the play “Antígona” by the SillySeason collective, with sessions on September 12 and 13, and the celebration of the 90th birthday of American composer Terry Riley in the “Contraponto” cycle.
On September 26, percussionist Pedro Carneiro performs Terry Riley’s “In C,” with guests such as Jeffery Davis, João Braga Simões, and Inês Malheiro.
Also part of the “Contraponto” series, pianists Joana Gama and Rui Braga Simões present “Canto Ostinato” by Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt on November 29.
The Theatro Circo’s final quarter 2025 program begins on September 5 with a performance by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Pereira Cristo as part of the White Night.
On September 20, a concert by the Afghan Youth Orchestra, exiled in Portugal since 2022, is scheduled, and on the 27th, the cine-concert “Naquele dia em Lisboa” by British musician Matthew Herbert and Portuguese photographer Daniel Blaufuks, based on images from 1940 by German filmmaker Eugen Schüfftan, will take place.
The musical program also includes “Cavalgada de Mil Amperes,” an audiovisual show by actor António Durães and director Edgar Pêra, on October 4, a performance by American composer Meredith Monk with her Vocal Ensemble, including Katie Geissinger and Allison Sniffin, on October 12, and a concert by American musician Devendra Banhart on November 24, among others.
In December, the play “Um inimigo do povo,” by Marco Martins, “motivated by the incidents in December 2024 on Rua do Benformoso in Lisbon,” premieres. The play, commissioned by Theatro Circo and Braga 25 — Portugal’s Capital of Culture, takes the stage on December 13 and 14.
The theater also premieres “Búzio,” a “provocative and humorous self-fiction” by playwright and director Ana Baptista, on October 31.
In the field of dance, the Companhia Nacional de Bailado returns to Braga after more than ten years, on October 3, with a show that brings together “two fundamental choreographic visions: George Balanchine’s ‘Stravinsky Violin Concerto’ and Ohad Naharin’s ‘Minus 16.'”
On October 17, “Está Visto,” a show by João dos Santos Martins with pianist and composer Joana Sá and visual artist Ana Jotta, takes the stage, and on November 14, dancer Ana Isabel Castro presents her new creation “Adoçar.”
For children and young audiences, the “Curtinhas” festival, promoted by Curtas Vila do Conde, runs from September 26 to 30. It includes plays such as “Quero um piano” by Ana Madureira and Vahan Kerovpyan from October 9 to 11, and “Soprar para ver” by Amarelo Silvestre on December 13, along with the music workshop for babies and children “Será de Voar” by Aurora Miranda and Joana Mafalda Araújo on November 15.
The complete program for the last four months of this year at Theatro Circo is available on the official website of the venue at www.theatrocirco.com.
