Between the opening, the restorations and the new opening, its walls have already had another color, being now living witnesses of all the secrets and lesser known facts that Theatro hides. Taste Braga uncovers some of them for you.
See also: 3 traditions that make Braga a special – and peculiar – city
- Theatro was built on the location of Convento dos Remédios.
When, in 1906, a group of people from Braga decided to create a new theatre in the city, the chosen location to welcome the project was a part of the lands that belonged to Convento dos Remédios, a feminine convent. Thus, the church and the rest of the buildings of the Congregation were demolished and a new area of the city, where Theatro Circo is included, took their place.
- There is a legend that tells us of the existence of a ghost in Theatro.
Throughout the corridors and rooms of Theatro Circo, runs for a long time the story of the ghost of a nun from Convento dos Remédios haunting the place. “Dona Maria”, as it’s known the oldest worker of Theatro, guarantees, always between laughs, that everything is nothing but a legend. Besides, she even tells that, for multiple times, the employees themselves would cover with a white bed sheet to scare others into thinking that the “nun’s ghost” was real.
- The painting panel that covers the stage hides a secret that the public never gets to see.
The big centenary panel that covers the stage with its images keeps to itself a fun and interesting fact about itself: its back is all written over by the artists who have passed by Theatro Circo along the years. Let alone being a historical piece for its years of existence, it is also a piece of importance for constituting a physical memory of the theatre and of those who steped into its stage.
- The Theatro Circo’s name is a result of its initial programs.
“Theatro Circo” was the chosen name for Braga’s new theatre because its stage often welcomed circus (which means circo in Portuguese) that came to give more life to the city’s cultural panorama.
- It’s a part of the Iberian and the European Routes of Historical Theatres.
Theatro Circo is one of the four Portuguese theatres that are on the Iberian and the European Routes of Historical Theatres – routes that distinguish the most beautiful and best preserved theatres built between Renascence and the first decades of the 20th century. On the list, side by side with Theatro Circo, are present Teatro de S. Carlos, in Lisbon, and Arriaga Theatre, in Bilbao.
- You can have a guided tour of the house.
To go to Theatro Circo, you don’t necessarily need to buy a ticket to watch a show. If you are curious about visiting the backstage of Theatro, you can do it in the guided tours that happen on Mondays and Saturdays by 2:30pm. For those who live in the city, the tour is free until 18 and older people pay 2,50€. For those who live outside the city, the ticket costs 1€ until 18 and, for older people, 2,50€.
