Draft:Teatro Municipal do Porto

The Teatro Municipal do Porto [Municipal Theatre of Porto] (TMP), through its two poles - Rivoli Theatre and Campo Alegre Theatre -, presents a multidisciplinary program, open to a wide range of latitudes and audiences, concretizing the strategy defined by the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Porto , since its reopening in September 2014, under the artistic direction of Tiago Guedes.

With the mission of co-producing, presenting and supporting the local, national and international artistic community, TMP aims above all to consolidate itself as a platform for the development of effective relationships and sustained creative practices, in a constant triangulation between artists, audiences and the place of the institution.

Together with the Dias da Dança Festival and CAMPUS Paulo Cunha e Silva, TMP is part of the Performing Arts Directorate of Culture and Sport in Porto. Currently, it has the artistic direction of Drew Klein and the executive direction of Francisco Malheiro.

Rivoli Theatre

The Rivoli Theatre is, since 2014, along with the Campo Alegre Theatre, one of the poles of the Municipal Theatre of Porto (TMP).

In terms of presentation rooms, it has two auditoriums: the Grande Auditório Manoel de Oliveira, with 727 seats, and the Isabel Alves Costa Auditorium, with 156 seats, in addition to other spaces for work and more sporadic presentations.

The current building was inaugurated in 1932 by the hands of the businessman Manuel José Pires Fernandes, having been restructured from the building of the old National Theatre (1913-1928) and remodeled to adapt to cinema and programming of opera, dance, theater and music. The original architectural design is the responsibility of architect and engineer Júlio José de Brito.

The 1970s and 1980s marked a period of financial degradation, in which the Rivoli became an obsolete equipment, without regular programming or public.

In 1994, the theater closed for a new remodeling, with project of architect Pedro Ramalho, reopening in 1997, under the direction of Isabel Alves Costa (who remained at the head of the theater until 2006). The existing area of 6,000 m2 has been expanded to more than 11,000 m 2. The guardianship of this new municipal theater belonged to the defunct municipal company, Culturporto, directed by Júlio Moreira.

From 2007 to 2011, the theatre was managed by Filipe La Féria, by concession of the City Council of Porto, chaired by Rui Rio.

In 2014, the Porto City Council, under the presidency of Rui Moreira and with Paulo Cunha e Silva as councilor for culture, again assumes the management of the Rivoli Theatre, also integrating the Campo Alegre Theatre, in the current form of operation, while Teatro Municipal do Porto (TMP).

Between September and December 2014, the program "O Rivoli Já Dança!" [Rivoli Already Dances!] is presented at Rivoli , which marks the start of the artistic project, directed by Tiago Guedes, who remains in office until 2022.

Between 2022 and 2024, the artistic direction of TMP is assumed by Cristina Planas Leitão and Drew Klein in a co-directing model.

In 2024, the TMP celebrates ten years of regular programming activity with special focus on dance. Currently, it has the artistic direction of Drew Klein and the executive direction of Francisco Malheiro, after the departure of Cristina Planas Leitão.

It should also be highlighted the publication "Cadernos do Rivoli", launched in 2002, under the artistic direction of Isabel Alves Costa. Interrupted in 2004, the publication was resumed in 2017, already under the artistic direction of Tiago Guedes. The tenth and most recent volume, "História(s) da Dança/History(ies) of Dance" was released in 2023.

Campo Alegre Theatre

The Campo Alegre Theatre was designed by architect Rogério Cavaca and after its construction in 2000, it was managed by the now defunct Fundação Ciência e Desenvolvimento [Science and Development Foundation].

In October 2012, the Porto City Council approved the closure of the Fundação Ciência e Desenvolvimento, and the Campo Alegre Theatre was then integrated into the City Council of Porto, one of the founding elements of the defunct foundation, with the University of Porto and financier of the equipment over the years.

The resident company of the Campo Alegre Theatre was, from 2000 to 2013, the Companhia Seiva Trupe - Teatro Vivo.

The Campo Alegre Theatre hosts several structures of the city of Porto, among which the Centro Coreográfico [Choreographic Centre], developing daily activities related to dance. With TMP, this entity co-produces the program Palcos Instáveis [Unstable Stages].

CAMPUS Paulo Cunha e Silva

The CAMPUS Paulo Cunha e Silva (CAMPUS PCS), located in the center of Porto, is a space for research and practice for performing arts, questioning artistic formats and modes of production, with special focus on the local artistic community.

Occupying the former EB José Gomes Ferreira School, CAMPUS was inaugurated on June 9, 2021, for being the date of birth of Paulo Cunha e Silva, who gives the name to the space. CAMPUS PCS is part of the Performing Arts Directorate of Ágora - Cultura e Desporto do Porto [Culture and Sport of Porto], together with Teatro Municipal do Porto (TMP) and DDD - Festival Dias da Dança [Days of Dance Festival].

Local artists can have free access to the studios through an online booking platform, allowing them a space for experimentation.

In each season, open calls are launched for the artistic and technical residency programs, as well as for the Reclamar Tempo [To Claim Time] program, that aims to promote time and space for research and development of artistic discourse.

DDD – Dias da Dança Festival

Held annually since 2016, at the end of April, the DDD - Dias da Dança Festival [Days of Dance Festival] is an international contemporary dance festival, organized by the Performing Arts Direction of the municipal company, Ágora – Cultura e Desporto do Porto, in collaboration with the municipalities of Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia, and with programming partnerships with a set of local cultural entities, among which Fundação de Serralves and balleteatro.

It is part of the Performing Arts Direction of the municipal company, Ágora – Cultura e Desporto do Porto, together with the Teatro Municipal do Porto (TMP) and the CAMPUS Paulo Cunha e Silva.

DDD starts from the idea of the "connection that can be built between the cities of Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia, proposing a program that promotes wandering between presentation spaces and public space."

The DDD program aims to attest to the aesthetic and thematic diversity of contemporary dance, opening itself to an idea of expanded choreography and defending that the artistic vision is a great contribution to today’s society.

After the initial artistic direction of Tiago Guedes, DDD currently has the artistic direction of Drew Klein. Between 2022 and 2024, it also had the artistic direction of Cristina Planas Leitão.