John Romão (1984) is a Portuguese cultural programmer, curator and theatre director. Executive and artistic director of BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts, in Lisbon, focused in cross disciplinary practices (performing arts, performance, visual arts, music), commissioning several national and international projects, namely performing arts projects by artivist Tania Bruguera, filmmaker Gus Van Sant or choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas. In theatre, he collaborated as assistant director of the writer and theatre director Rodrigo García for 11 years, touring extensively with several projects, and Romeo Castellucci, at Venice Theatre Biennial. He started a new cultural project in Alentejo, Futurama.
Mickael de Oliveira was born in France, in 1984, and has lived in Portugal since 1999. In 2013, he got his Ph.D. in contemporary Portuguese and European dramaturgy from the School of Humanities – University of Lisbon, where he is post-doctoral fellow researching the presence of literature in contemporary theatre and dance. In 2008, Mickael founded Colectivo 84, the theatre company for which he develops playwriting and directing projects. His work O que é teu entregou aos mortais was distinguished with the Maria Matos New Playwriting Award (Maria Matos Municipal Theatre, 2007), and Clytemnestra received an Honorable Mention – António José da Silva Prize (D. Maria II National Theatre, Lisbon / FUNARTE, Brazil, 2012). Some of his most recent productions include Oslo–Fuck Them All and Everything Will Be Wonderful (co-created with Nuno M Cardoso, Gil Vicente Academic Theatre, São Luiz Municipal Theatre), The Constitution (2016, Dona Maria National Theatre), and the diptych Socrates Must Die (Socrates’ Death / The Life of John Smith, 2017/2018, Vila Flor Cultural Centre, São Luiz Municipal Theatre, Viriato Theatre, Gil Vicente Academic Theatre. Mickael has served as the artistic director of END – New Dramaturgy Encounters, a project that aims to foster new Portuguese and international playwriting (1st edition at the São Luiz Municipal Theatre, Lisbon, Nov. 2010; 2nd and 3rd editions at the Gil Vicente Academic Theatre, March, Coimbra, 2015/2019). He was Assistant Professor of Arts Administration and Artistic Studies at the School of Education and Humanities (Leiria), guest Lecturer at the School of Theatre and Film Studies (Lisbon), and guest Assistant Professor at the School of Humanities – University of Coimbra. From September 2011 to August 2015, Mickael was Assistant Artistic Director of the Gil Vicente Academic Theatre (Coimbra).
Patrícia Portela is a writer and performance maker born in 1974, living between Belgium and Portugal. She has a BA in set and costume design by the high school of theatre and cinema of Lisbon, a Masters of Arts in scenography and dramaturgy of space from the University of Utrecht and Saint Martins college of art in Antwerp, a post-graduation in theatricality and performativity from APT in Antwerp, a film stage at the European film school in Ebeltoft, Denmark, and a Masters in Philosophy of the University of Leuven, Belgium. Since 2003 she has worked on her own performances and installations in collaboration with international artists. She has achieved national and international recognition for her unusual work and is considered one of the most daring artists and innovative writers of her generation. She won the Revelation Prize in 1994 for her creative work in performance and cinema, the Prize Teatro na Década for T5 in 1999, the Gulbenkian Foundation Prize Madalena de Azeredo Perdigão for the performance Flatland I in 2004 and was one of the 5 finalists of the Sonae Media Art Prize 2015 with her installation Parasomnia, amongst other prizes. She has been invited to participate in the prestigious International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa in 2013 and to be the first Outreach Fellow. She was the first literary resident in Berlin in 2016, sponsored by the Portuguese Embassy in Germany/Instituto Camões. She lectures “dramaturgy and space” and “image” regularly at Universities and cultural centers in Portugal (such as University of Minho or University of Lisbon) and abroad (University of Antwerp, Escola de Escrita in Curitiba, etc). She is the author of several novels, short stories and performances, such as Dias úteis (2016, considered one of the books of the year by several reviewers) or Banquet (finalist at the Novel Prize of APE 2012). She is a chronicle writer for the prestigious Jornal de Letras since 2017 and for the National Radio Antena 1.
Rui Horta was one of the most influencial choreographers of his generation, his work being presented all over the world such as the Theatre de la Ville, that co-produced it for over a decade. He directed S.O.A.P. at the Mousonturm, and created for many companies such as NDT, Cullberg, Geneva, Gotemburg, etc. He was awarded prizes such as the Grand Prix de Bagnolet, the German Producers Prize, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Letres from the French Ministry of Culture, the Almada prize from the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, etc. Rui Horta is also a very active light and set designer, as well as opera director. He lives in Montemor, where he has established a cross disciplinary research center, o Espaço do Tempo.
Has a degree in Computer Science, and further training in Management and Production of the Performing Arts and Photography.
In 2006 he co-founded and manages Coffeepaste, an online platform with editorial content, classifieds for artists, and training activities.
In 2017 he founded contraCenas, a project featuring criticism and reviews on arts and culture.
Since January 2019 he collaborates with O Espaço do Tempo Artistic Direction, and with Prado since january 2020.
MARIANA BRANDÃO, Ph.D., has a background as a dancer and art historian. She holds a master’s degree in the history of art, Faculty of Letters, University of Porto. She collaborated with the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art and the General Directorate for the Arts of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture. She is also a university lecturer in the areas of performance and dance history. Brandão received a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon, supported by FCT (Science and Technology Foundation) with a thesis titled “Steps Around: Dance vs. Performance: A Conceptual and Artistic Scenario for the Portuguese Context.” Associate researcher of CIEBA (Centre for Research and Studies in Fine Arts), University of Lisbon.
Artistic Director of Temps d’Images – Lisboa and belongs to Arena Ensemble.
Maria João Guardão is a journalist and filmmaker, living and working in Lisboa. In 2010 she founded her production company, DESmedida films.
She has worked as a cultural journalist for newspapers, television, editorial and online projects and, most recently, for the National Theatre Dona Maria II. She directed documentary series for television and several films about artists, namely NADA PODE FICAR (NOTHING CAN STAY, 2021), on the last days of João Fiadeiro’s company RE.AL.
Magda Bizarro graduated in Chemistry and has been involved in scientific research, previously to her work in the arts. Since May 2015, Magda Bizarro is the artistic assistant in Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (TNDM II) in Lisbon, directed by the author and director Tiago Rodrigues, where she develops the artistic program of international and emerging artists. She is recurrent presence in jury panels like Bolsa Amélia Rey Colaço, Theatre Dramaturgy Laboratory, Bolsa Espaço do Tempo/La Caixa, among others. She is one of the curators of the Portuguese Platform, PT.21.
Magda Bizarro is also responsible for developing international projects in the frame of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, being in charge of the participation of TNDM II in of apap – advancing performing arts project.
Magda Bizarro organises the national and international tour of plays produced by TNDM II. Her work has changed the way this theatre tours, once since 2015 Teatro Nacional D. Maria II is a regular presence in the most prestigious European festivals and has been touring all over the world, being present in festivals and theatres in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zeeland, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, the United States of America, among others.
She collaborated with several Portuguese theatre collectives during the ’90s as an executive producer and stage photographer. Magda Bizarro co-founded Mundo Perfeito in 2003 where she was involved as one of the main creative contributors in more than 30 creations, that tour in several countries. Her capacity of work is remarkable, besides the development of artistic ideas for some of the performances, she has worked in the set, costumes, communication and the dramaturgical development, Magda Bizarro established herself as a creative producer with an extremely versatile approach to contemporary creation.
Postgraduate in Cultural Management and Master in Dance, Ana Figueira was the founder and director of NEC, as well as the founder and director for 20 years of Companhia Instável, currently Instável – Choreographic Center. Ana was also a programmer and artistic director of Teatro Aveirense. In Aveiro, she created and directed the festival Dance and New Technologies. She is a teacher at Ginasiano and ESMAE.
Ana has worked intensively to encourage and support the creation and research in dance in the north of Portugal.
Her work as a teacher and experience as a choreographer includes a comprehensive perception of the various aspects of dance and, above all, a great approach to new generations of creators and performers.
Journalist, performing arts specialist, author
Born in Lisbon, in 1972. Writes about culture, specialized in performing arts and dance, since 1994, in diverse publications, Portuguese and foreign, including the main newspapers in Portugal – writes for the weekly Expresso since 2005. For television, she was editor of the weekly cultural magazine on culture “AGORA” and Palcos AGORA (RTP2, 2012 to 2015) and editor of the weekly supplement «Artes de Palco», from the program «Magazine » (RTP2, 2004 to 2006). She is the author of the books on dance and / or arts: «Corpo de Cordas – 10 years of Companhia Paulo Ribeiro» (2006, Assírio & Alvim); «Pina Bausch – Sentir Mais» (biographical essay, Don Quixote, 2010); “15 years of Espaço do Tempo” (2016, Montemor-o-Novo Choreographic Center, by Rui Horta). In fiction, she is the author of the following books: «Sensualistas» (2001); «Conto de Verão » (2002); «O Tempo das Cerejas» (2007). She was editorial coordinator and author of the book “There is nothing that is beyond your imagination” (2015, within the European network “Imagine 2020 – Art and Climate Change”, which brings together 10 European theaters, led by Kaaitheater, in Brussels).
Francisco Frazão is artistic director of Teatro do Bairro Alto, a new city theatre in Lisbon devoted to experimental, emerging and international work. So far, TBA has presented work by Gob Squad, Tim Crouch, Tania El Khoury, Federico León, Alessandro Sciarroni and nora chipaumire, among others, while co-producing local artists such as Cão Solteiro, David Marques, Welket Bungué and Raquel Castro. From 2004 to 2017 Francisco was theatre programmer at arts centre Culturgest. He has worked as translator and dramaturg (namely for theatre company Artistas Unidos) and has written and taught classes and seminars on theatre, film and literature.
Inês Nadais (Porto, 1976) lives and works as a cultural journalist and editor in Porto, focusing mainly on the performing arts scene and most consistently on theatre and dance. After getting a degree in Communication Studies at Universidade do Minho in 1999, she joined the leading reference daily newspaper in Portugal, PÚBLICO, where she reported for a number of desks (media, social issues, local and culture) until taking the position of editor-in-chief at Ípsilon, PÚBLICO’s arts and entertainment weekly supplement (2009-2015). Currently working as editor-in-chief at the culture desk, where she supervises and commissions both the print daily edition and the online outlet, she is also curating an international conference on the topic of national theatres and regularly contributing to monographs and other specialized publications.