The São Pedro Theatre (''Theatro São Pedro'' in
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
) is the oldest
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in the city of
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...
, the state capital of
Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
History
Founded in 1858, the theatre quickly became an artistic, social, and political center in the country.
In the 1970s it was realised that the theatre was in need of a major renovation.
Eva Sopher
Eva Sopher (June 18, 1923 – February 7, 2018) was a Brazilian theatre manager in Porto Alegre. She renovated the São Pedro Theatre and ran it for 41 years.
Life
Sopher was born in 1923 in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. She was born Eva Margare ...
who had run many artistic endeavours in Porto Alegre for the organisation PROARTE was chosen by the government to lead the project. The renovation was to take nine years and became Soper's life's work. The theatre reopened in 1984.
Soper was to run the theatre for 41 years (the rest of her life). In 1991 there was a challenge to her leadership but admirers including the Brazilian director and actor gathered to hold hands around the theatre to show their support.
[
Further extensions to the theatre's facilities had been started by Soper with a budget of R$20m but the estimated costs rose to R$50m. Although still not complete in 2018 the project had delivered a car park, rooms for administration, a new restaurant and a music salon.][
Soper died in 2018.]Governor of Rio Grande do Sul
The governor of Rio Grande do Sul is the head of government of the state's executive branch, assisted by his secretaries, whom he freely chooses. Elected by absolute majority in universal suffrage, together with the vice-governor, his term lasts fo ...
declared three days of mourning.
An 18,000 square metre community complex was named after Eva Soper.
References
External links
Official Website (in Portuguese)
Buildings and structures in Porto Alegre
Theatres in Rio Grande do Sul
Tourist attractions in Porto Alegre
National heritage sites of Rio Grande do Sul
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