António Pinheiro – Um nome para a história do teatro Português

Author: Luís Gameiro
Category: Biographies and Memoirs

A systematic and meticulous investigation at the individual level, which aimed above all to place the figure, civic action and artistic responsibility of António Pinheiro in a context that allowed us to understand the novelty, importance and operability of the ideas that he uncompromisingly defended for the field of theater in Portugal.
Revealing a remarkable capacity for research and documentary analysis, the Author knew how to follow António Pinheiro's artistic journey and interrogate his thought, practice and critical reflection on many of the social, cultural and artistic issues of this period in Portugal, a time of transition of the century. XIX to the century. XX: the simmering of republican ideas (of which he was a tireless defender), the creation of experimental theater companies (such as Teatro Livre, in 1905), the uproar surrounding the implementation of the Republic, associative ideology, didactic innovations in training of the actors, the fight for the dignification of the National Theatre, all covering an extraordinary and multifaceted activity that spanned more than fifty years.
Therefore, being a “Life Story”, this study is also, and above all, a Life in the History of Portugal which, fortunately, left important marks on social and artistic life.
In theater, António Pinheiro was an actor, rehearser, director and director, working in the most prestigious companies – such as Rosas & Brazão and Rey Colaço-Robles Monteiro -, but also venturing into the “mambeme theater” (walking theater) or the experimentation with naturalistic theater, such as the adventure of Teatro Livre, which took Antoine's scenic teachings as a guide. He also stood out in his staunch defense of a National Theater that should be of high artistic quality, but also of unequivocal ethical value in its programming and rules
coexistence and discipline of their collective life.