Of the August 21 to 30, the city of Setúbal will become a large open-air stage with the XXVII International Theater Festival. We are not talking about just another festival, but about an event that has been consolidating itself as one of the most important cultural gatherings in the country for almost three decades. Portugal.
For ten days, the town will host more than thirty shows, concerts and exhibitions, bringing together national and international companies with proposals that seek to reach all types of audiences. From intimate stagings to large street productions, the programming promises variety, quality and, above all, closeness.
Theater in the streets and voices in Spanish
One of the attractions of this edition is the presence of several Spanish companies, which contribute productions in Spanish to a festival marked by linguistic diversity. In addition, a good part of the programming will take place outside the traditional stages: squares, parks and gardens in Setúbal will be transformed into meeting spaces, bringing theater directly to the people.
Isn’t it fascinating how art changes a place when it takes over its streets? Perhaps that is where the true spirit of this festival lies: making theater something everyday, close and collective.
Programming highlights
Although the list is extensive, some proposals draw special attention:
- August 21 – Convent of Jesus (6:00 p.m.): The Boat – Musical Apartment. A sensory experience that mixes music and environmental awareness, putting nature at the center of the scene.
- August 22 (18:00) Jardim de Palhais / August 23 (11:00) Parque do Bonfim: Palhaço Fusquinha. Street circus in an intimate format, designed for family audiences, with humor, juggling and constant interaction.
- August 23 – União Setubalense (7:00 p.m.): Nem Mais Uma. A moving monologue by Yakelin Morales that addresses domestic violence, loneliness and frustration from the perspective of a contemporary woman.
- August 24 – Parque do Bonfim (12:00) and Jardim de Palhais (19:00): Caffeine. A visual poem with dance, acrobatics and coffee as a common thread. Brief, but loaded with plastic beauty.
- August 29 – Blackbox of Escola Secundária Sebastião da Gama (22:00): Animals Humans. A documentary theater proposal with Palestinian narrators on stage for the first time, which unites tragedy, satire, dance and audiovisual to talk about the Middle East conflict.
Artistic diversity and social commitment
The festival is not limited to entertaining. It also opens a space to reflect on current issues: from environmental care to sexist violence, through major geopolitical conflicts. This combination of humor, visual poetry and social criticism reinforces the plural nature of the quote.
Can art change the way we look at the world? The Setúbal festival does not provide definitive answers, but it does raise necessary questions. And in this collective exercise of imagining other realities lies a good part of its value.
The Setúbal International Theater Festival It is more than a cultural event. It is an invitation to live the summer in Portugal in a different way, discovering shows that move between tenderness and denunciation, between beauty and crudeness. A perfect excuse to let yourself be carried away by the power of the performing arts.
