In November 2005, as a joint initiative of the Centre for English Studies (CEAUL) and the Centre for Theatre Studies (CET) – both of the University of Lisbon – a colloquium was held at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon on the theme of Shakespeare among us, which included presentations from Portuguese and foreign specialists, as well as the participation of some Portuguese directors who, in more recent times, had created shows based on Shakespeare’s texts.
On the part of the National Theatre Museum, thanks to the interest shown by its director, Dr José Carlos Alvarez, we had a valuable collaboration that brought to the Faculty a significant display of props, models, costumes, posters, programmes, photographs, scenographic studies, books and other relevant material that recalled Shakespeare’s time in the theatre in Portugal. Thus, in the showcases of the exhibition that accompanied the colloquium, there were theatre objects from 1881 (Teatro S. Carlos) and 1882 (from Companhia Rosas & Brazão) to the most recent outcroppings at the beginning of the 21st century, which departed from Shakespeare for more iconoclastic adventures, as was the case, among others, with Chapitô (2001). It was possible to realise – from these fragments of the shows performed in Portugal – the interest that the English playwright has aroused among artists and audiences in our country, so it will come as little surprise to us that CETbase counts more than 350 shows performed in Portugal, either based on his plays (translated or not) or based on new dramaturgical, performative and operatic recompositions of them.