Theatre Circo

The Theatre Circo is a 20th-century, Portuguese revivalist theatre, in the civil parish of São João do Souto, municipality of Braga. Designed by the architect João de Moura Coutinho, it was first inaugurated on 21 April 1915 with a performance of Ruggero Leoncavallo's operetta La reginetta delle rose .Following a storied history that included the first talking films, operas and public performances, the building was restored by the municipal council of Braga, and reopened in 2006.HistoryOn 25 February 1907, during a session of the municipal council of Braga, which was convened to approve the transfer of buildings, terrains and dependencies of the unoccupied Convent of Remédios, owing to the planned expansion of the Avenida da Liberidade. The president of the municipal council, through the treasurer, took control of the Convent and the dependencies on 19 September, and the next day the demolition of the belvedre, towards the Rua das Águas began.The need for a new theatre had already become manifest in the artistic community around 1906. At the time the small São Geraldo Theatre was the only space used for theatre and cinema, but the larger Portuguese theatre companies could not stage any of their theatrical presentations in the limited stage. Artur José Soares, José António Velosos and Cândido Martins Iiderarm formed the Sociedade do Teatro Circo, and began collecting the materials from the demolished Convent on 16 December 1907.The construction of the theatre began in 1911, under the supervision of architect João de Moura Coutinho, and continued until 1915 . On 21 April 1911, the theatre was inaugurated with the presentation of the operetta Rainha das Rosas by Ruggero Leoncavallo, performed by the Éden Teatro de Lisboa company, under the direction of Luiz Galhardo, and starring Palmira Bastos in the principal role. The following day the actress participated in the unveiling of two marble plaques, in her honour, and to the architect Moura Coutinho for the new building.