Department of Culture reopens Teatro dos Correios, now Teatro Correios Léa Garcia, with the return of the acclaimed play “Macacos”

Good news for the performing arts in Rio. The City of Rio, through the Municipal Department of Culture, is reopening another theater, the Correios Theater, now with a new name: Teatro Correios Léa Garcia, in honor of the great actress from Rio de Janeiro (1933-2023). Closed since 2018, the 185-seat venue will reopen next Thursday (11/1), fully equipped and air-conditioned. The play chosen to mark the new phase is the acclaimed “Macacos”, with text, direction and performance by Shell Award winner Clayton Nascimento, which will return for six sessions: on 11/1 (for guests) and on 13/20, 21, 27, 28 and 1 (Saturdays and Sundays) for the public, with tickets sold on the Imply platform and at the box office.

“Macacos” is the story of a black man searching for answers to the racism that surrounds his daily life throughout the history of Brazil. The play premiered to critical and public acclaim and remained for much of its Rio season at the Teatro Ipanema, one of the facilities of the Department of Culture included in the Cultura do Amanhã, a robust program of renovation, modernization and requalification of municipal cultural spaces.

The Teatro Correios Léa Garcia is reopening with an eye on black ancestry. According to the department, the idea is to present theatrical performances, concerts and events that also address the traditions of indigenous peoples, as well as projects that promote research into popular cultures. New infrastructure improvements include the installation of an air conditioning system and the revision of the sound and light structures and the stage box, among other improvements. The schedule is still being defined.

The transfer of the property by Correios is part of the project to restructure the state-owned company's property portfolio, initiated by the current management.

– We are fulfilling our mission as agents of the federal government in promoting culture. Historic buildings, such as the Centro Cultural dos Correios in Rio de Janeiro, which had been abandoned, will now be used for the benefit of Brazilians – stated the president of Correios, Fabiano Silva dos Santos.

An internationally renowned Brazilian actress who played an essential role in the inclusion of black people in Brazilian art, Léa Lucas Garcia de Aguiar was nominated for the award for best female performance at the Cannes Film Festival in 1957 for her performance in the film “Black Orpheus”, winner of the Oscar for best foreign film.

She also made history in theater and television. The actress was one of the pioneers of the inclusion of black people on Brazilian stages, where she performed in the 1950s as part of the Teatro Experimental do Negro collective.

Teatro Correios Léa Garcia: Rua Visconde de Itaboraí 20, Centro – 3088-3001. Play “Monkeys”: days 13, 20, 21, 27 and 28. Sat, at 19pm. Sun, at 18pm. R$ 30. 12 years old. Via Imply (ingressos_cultura_rio) and physical box office (open 60 minutes before the show).

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January 8, 2024

Appointments: Culture Monkeys piece City Hall of Rio reopening Teatro Correios Léa Garcia