São João Theater names the main hall after Ricardo Pais

In a conversation with journalists, while inside the theater his name was posted in the main room, Ricardo Pais confessed to being "moved" by the distinction, which he takes with humor.

"It should have some bananas and a Carmen Miranda next to it, it will have a terrible Las Vegas feel," the director quipped, adding that "no one could wish for anything better than to have their name on a theater."

The official ceremony will take place on October 16th, as part of the "RP 80" program, which also includes the restoration of his emblematic pieces "Turismo Infinito" and "al mada nada", shows that the creator considers to represent "a pre-posthumous tribute" that gives him "some joy", as they reflect the best of his creation.

"There are shows that never die," he said, highlighting the longevity of "Infinite Tourism," a work created 18 years ago and successfully presented in Portugal, France, Germany and Brazil.

"There are viewers who have already seen 'Infinite Tourism' four times and will see it for the fifth time," he said, considering that the two works are "a good sample" of his career.

"If I'm worth anything in all this, which I'm starting to doubt," he commented ironically.

Regarding "Infinite Tourism", he said it was "one of the most refined things" he had done, a synthesis of his way of connecting "stories through the senses".

"Al mada nada", inspired by a short story by Almada Negreiros, is for Ricardo Pais "full of histrionic vitality", revealing a "catharsis" in the face of the memory of wars.

The director stressed that the choice of works had practical reasons, since "there was no time to rehearse anything new", and praised the "great effort of the administration" of the TNSJ.

"These are shows that everyone loves to see and regrets not being able to see again," he said.

When asked about current theatrical culture, Ricardo Pais confessed that he is not "very optimistic" because he does not have a clear vision, but he hopes that the future of theater will focus on its specificity, arguing that dramatic art should be thought of by what distinguishes it.

The "RP 80" program takes place between October 16th and 19th, with several activities that include, in addition to the reruns, the launch of the book "Despesas de Representação -- Ditos e Escritos (1975-2025)", a reflection on half a century of his career.

The highlight of the program takes place on October 16th, with a formal session at 6:00 pm, when the main hall of the TNSJ is officially renamed the Ricardo Pais Room.

This moment is followed by the re-run of two of its most emblematic shows - "Turismo Infinito", at 7:00 pm, and "al mada nada", at 9:30 pm.

The TNSJ emphasizes that the "RP 80" program "exceeds the logic of homage or personal celebration", functioning instead as "an exercise in attention" to one of the central figures of contemporary Portuguese theater and its permanent reinvention of memory, art and the stage.

Born in Leiria in 1945, Ricardo Pais is one of the most influential Portuguese directors after the 25th of April revolution.

He trained as a director at the Drama Centre in London, returning to Portugal in the 1970s, a period in which he established himself as one of the central figures in the aesthetic and institutional renewal of Portuguese theater.

Over more than five decades of activity, he has created productions that combine literature, music, and performance, exploring a theatrical language that combines formal rigor and poetic restlessness.

He staged great classics of universal drama, including Molière's play "D. João" (2006), created "Turismo Infinito" (2007), based on Fernando Pessoa, and "al mada nada" (2014), a theatrical dialogue with the universe of Almada Negreiros, all at the TNSJ.

"Nobody -- Frei Luís de Sousa", based on Garrett, "The Awakening of Spring", by Frank Wedekind, "Faust, Fernando, Fragments", about Pessoa, "Minetti", by Thomas Bernhard, "The Mandrake", by Machiavelli, "Clamor", by Luísa Costa Gomes, based on sermons by Father António Vieira, are among the plays that marked his career and the theater in Portugal.

In a journey that includes authors such as William Shakespeare, Arthur Schnitzler, Federico García Lorca, Eugene O'Neill, Joe Orton, Alfred Jarry, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, there is also "The Tragicomedy of Dom Duardos", by Gil Vicente, "The Salvation of Venice", by Thomas Otway, "The Lessons", combining Eugene Ionesco, Georges Feydeau, Ramalho Ortigão, Ernesto Sampaio, and "Madame", by Maria Velho da Costa.

In "Theatre of enormities only credible in electric light", which he conceived, he worked with Olga Roriz, and in "Sound Me, Sondheim - Musical inzignificantia", which he staged at the TNSJ, in Porto, and at the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (TNDM), in Lisbon, he also recovered his acting side - the same one that had taken him to the cinema of Manoel de Oliveira ("Amor de Perdição"), Luís Galvão Teles ("A Confederação") and António-Pedro Vasconcelos ("O Lugar do Morto"), and to recreate the president of the deposed government, Marcello Caetano, in "Capitães de Abril", by Maria de Medeiros.

Ricardo Pais assumed leadership of the TNSJ twice, after having already directed the TNDM (1989-1990): first between 1996 and 2000, and then from 2002 to 2009, a period in which he conceived the structure and ideology that reinvented the national theater model.

Under his direction, the TNSJ promoted a repertoire of Portuguese and foreign authors, modernized its structure and reinforced the role of public theater in the cultural life of the city of Porto.

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