Theatre

The enthusiasm for theatrical performances here in Madeira probably followed the same phases as in the mainland of the Kingdom (reino, i.e. mainland Portugal). In churches and in the parlours of convents, autos and poems of a religious character were performed, in which the sanctity of the place was not always duly respected. The Constitutions of this bishopric, promulgated and approved in 1578, laid down ‘that no performances… be held in churches or chapels, by day or by night, without the special licence of the prelate, because of the many drawbacks and scandals that follow from them’.

We have found vague references to these performances in the churches and convents of this diocese, but we cannot determine precisely the nature of these spectacles or the way in which they were staged. We know that in 1622 a religious auto was performed in the church of São João Evangelista (St John the Evangelist), when solemn festivities were held there to mark the canonisation of St Francis Xavier. In the church or Convent of St Clare (Santa Clara), the annotator of ‘Longing for the Homeland’ (Saudades da Terra) tells us, there was a dramatic performance in 1718, when the governor and captain-general João de Saldanha da Gama left Madeira. It was written by Francisco de Vasconcelos Coutinho (volume I, page 315) and entitled Residência do Governador e Capitão General… and was performed by the nuns of the Convent of St Clare at his farewell; its characters were the Island, the Court, Longing, Religion and Fame. Before 1780 there was already a modest playhouse in Funchal, situated in the Rua das Fontes (‘springs’). This house, which at the beginning of the 19th century was called ‘da Comedia Velha’ (of the Old Comedy), collapsed on 19 March 1829, although its façade remained standing. In that year of 1780, it seems, the construction of the Teatro Grande (‘great theatre’) was completed; we devote a separate article to it.

Around 1820, or shortly before, and therefore while that theatre still existed (it was demolished in 1833), the Teatro do Bom Gosto was built; we also deal with it in another article.

When this theatre ceased to operate around 1838, steps were taken to convert the refectory and other quarters of the dissolved Convent of St Francis into a theatre, which was given the singular name of Prazer Regenerado and which did not last long. It opened on 20 December 1840.

At about this time or shortly afterwards the Concórdia dramatic society was formed. Around 1842 it had a small theatre of the same name built in Rua do Monteiro, where the distinguished performer Robio appeared before the public and where, in 1844, the drama Amor e Pátria by Sérvulo de Medina e Vasconcelos (volume II, page 336) was staged. A few performances were still given there in 1851. In 1856 the opening of the street between Ponte do Bettencourt and the church of Carmo (Carmelite church) led the Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal) to demolish the building in which that small theatre was housed.

José Silvestre Ribeiro, the most illustrious and public-spirited governor Madeira has had, sought to attend to and improve every branch of public administration and every local amenity, and he certainly could not neglect the establishment of a theatre in this city. If his diligent efforts and persevering initiative were not crowned with success, this was due solely to the insurmountable difficulties that arose and to the little zeal and commitment shown towards the undertaking by various private individuals, the administrative bodies, the deputies and the central government, as can be seen in volume 3 of the Epocha Administrativa. This took place in 1851 and 1852.

Around 1858 a dramatic society known as Talia was founded in Funchal. It gave a number of performances in various venues and later rented a house in Largo do Pelourinho (‘pillory’). We do not know when it ceased to exist, nor who its members and directors were, but it was still performing in public in 1859, after the Teatro Esperança had already opened.

We shall give a brief account of the latter in a separate article.

During the lifetime of the Teatro Esperança, and even before it, several dramatic societies were formed in this city, staging many dramas and comedies in various places. The Lancasterian School (Escola Lancasteriana) was at times used as a venue for concerts and for theatrical performances.

Between 1850 and 1880 various private and official attempts were made to provide this city with a theatre which, without being a grand playhouse, might nonetheless satisfy the wishes of the population and suit the conditions and circumstances of our community. All these efforts proved fruitless, however, until a bolder and more enterprising body of councillors resolved to build a theatre. It raised a loan for the purpose and at last gave Funchal an excellent playhouse, the present Teatro Manuel de Arriaga, which we shall discuss in another article of this work.

Besides the Teatro Manuel de Arriaga, Funchal today has the Teatro Circo and the Pavilhão Paris, the latter opened on 23 October 1909 and the former on 3 September 1911 (1921).

Several Madeirans have cultivated dramatic literature, writing plays of various genres for the stage. Among them we may mention Baltasar Dias, Francisco de Vasconcelos Coutinho, José Anselmo Correia Henriques, Manuel Caetano Pimenta de Aguiar, Sérvulo de Medina e Vasconcelos, João de Nóbrega Soares, Maximiliano de Azevedo, João de Freitas Branco, Luís António Gonçalves de Freitas, Dona Olímpia Fernandes, João dos Reis Gomes, José Jorge Rodrigues dos Santos, Jaime Câmara, Elmano Vieira, Alberto Figueira Jardim, etc., whose writings we mention in the articles devoted to these authors in this work.

Theatrical subjects were treated with great expertise by Luís da Costa Pereira, in the work Rudimentos da Arte Dramática, and by J. dos Reis Gomes in the books O Teatro e o Actor, which ran to two editions, and A Música e o Teatro.