''Teatro Ádóque'' was a theatre and theatrical cooperative located in the Martim Moniz area of
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, capital of
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
.
Origins
The Ádóque Theatre Workers' Cooperative, was founded in 1974, and installed itself in the former ''
Teatro Desmontável Rafael de Oliveira'' in Largo Martim Moniz in Lisbon, a collapsible structure dating back to 1936, which could be moved, initially by rail and, later, in ten trucks. The structure had room for 700 people seated on narrow canvas chairs. The cooperative's first performance was on September 23, 1974. The facilities were not good, and in the early years there were leaks in the roof, leading spectators to open umbrellas during performances. The roof was made of
galvanized iron sheets, causing the theatre to be extremely hot in the summer.
Performers
This was the first theatrical cooperative in Portugal. Its founders included the actor, author and director,
Francisco Nicholson, the set designer,
Mário Alberto, and the choreographer,
Fernando Lima
Fernando Lima (born May 7, 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine vocalist, European classical music, classical music singer and countertenor, who rose to prominence for providing vocals for Spanish-language pop songs.
Life and career
...
. The company became famous in Lisbon for its innovative and left-wing approach to
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
s, known in Portugal as ''Teatro de Revista'', and for children's shows. One of its introductions was the use of ballet, with modern choreography. Actors and dancers to perform as members of the cooperative included António Montez, Ermelinda Duarte,
António Feio
António Jorge Peres Feio (6 December 1954 – 29 July 2010) was a Portuguese actor and director who was awarded the honorific degree of "Comendador da Ordem do Infante D. Henrique" on 27 March 2010, by Aníbal Cavaco Silva (President of the Re ...
, Natália de Sousa, Henriqueta Maia, Rui Mendes, Maria Dulce, and Maria Tavares. The theatre was forced to close in 1982 by Lisbon's mayor, Krus Abecassis, who wanted a shopping centre to be built at the location.
[
]
Performances
The Ádóque cooperative produced 21 shows, which were attended by more than 1.2 million spectators in Lisbon and more than 70 other locations in the country. In Lisbon it would perform two shows every night and three shows on Sundays. In addition to the shows put on by the cooperative, the theatre was used by many other cultural and artistic groups, touring shows, and visual artists.[
]
An irreverent approach
Teatro Ádóque was established soon after the April 1974 Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...
, which overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal. The cooperative was able to take advantage of the end of censorship that occurred at that time and became recognised for its different approach to the presentation of revues. According to Francisco Nicholson, "we were irreverent, shameless, impertinent, naughty, but always fraternal, generous, …... Always with the concern to be politically very incorrect".
See also
*List of theatres and auditoriums in Lisbon
There follows a list of present and past theatres and auditoriums in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
*''Teatro ABC'' was the last of four theatres built in the Parque Mayer theatre district of Lisbon. It opened in January 1956 and closed in 19 ...
References
{{stack, {{Portal, Portugal
Theatres in Lisbon
Theatre companies in Portugal