National Museum of Theater and Dance: the archive of the performing arts’ history in Portugal

For the art lovers, Lisbon is filled with good entertainment options. With an excellent memories collection that cover the three major performing arts: theater, dance and opera, the National Theater and Dance Museum is a great leisure option!

The museum is housed in an 18th-century building, which was totally destroyed by a fire in 1970. The building facade is what remained of the Monteiro-Mor Palace, which was completely rebuilt reconcileing its 18th-century exterior with a modern museum interior.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens, there are the colorful stage machines, created in honor of the 500 years of Gil Vicente’s play “Romagem dos Agravados”.

With more than 300 thousand items, the museum collection features pieces dating back to the 18th century until the 21st century.

The museum’s first hall presents a temporary exhibition dedicated to the theater company Tarumba – teatro de marionetes. Here are over 20 character puppets created by important authors as Shakespeare.

Almeida Garrett was the creator of the National Theater and Conservatory and is a very important personality in the Portuguese theater’s history. According to the tradition, this is the chair where he sat down to direct the conservatory sessions. And around it, there are engravings, publications, costumes, photographs and various souvenirs from Garrett and his time.

In the costumes and accessories room, we find several treasures from the performing arts, such as the costume for Hamlet, played by Eduardo Brasão in 1887. His company was very important to the Portuguese Theater.

On the second floor are exhibited the puppets of great artistic value, used in one of the Don Quixote’s plays.

It’s also possible to find detailed mock-ups of some set designers, illumination and sound objects, a dressing room from the “Teatro da Trindade”, organized as if we were behind the stage.

In the room dedicated to the Dance currently there’s a temporary exhibition evocative of the 100th anniversary of the Ballets Russes Dance Company’s arrival to Lisbon.

The Ballets Russes’ passing through Lisbon was a magical and cosmopolitan instant, in a Lisbon plagued by military coups and the participation in the Great War.

On the Theater’s world day was inaugurated the photographic exhibition “Gineceu Androceu” from João Telmo. This temporary exhibition is an important contribution to the reflection about the gender identity’s issues in our times.

The museum also has a specialized library, allowing the easy public access to many scanned pieces.

It is through these computers that we can access the museum’s inventory, allowing access to the extension of the exhibition. The museum is much more than everything that is exposed!

Several students, from Portugal and from abroad, use this library to support their research.

And we finish here our tour through the world of art. When you come to Lisbon, don’t miss the National Museum of Theater and Dance!