The Variedades Theatre in Lisbon reopens to the public today. Inaugurated in 1926, this iconic building of Lisbon culture and theatre reopens under the aegis of LISBOA CULTURA after a three-decade hiatus and expects to receive 15 shows and 40 thousand visitors in 2025.
In addition to enhancing the offerings for performing arts, this theatre will provide a new concept, serving as a venue for independent productions and companies that do not have their own space.
The intervention carried out on Variedades, a building now managed by LISBOA CULTURA, executed by Lisboa Ocidental SRU, aimed to preserve the glamour and identity of the theatre while revitalizing it as a performance centre adapted to contemporary legal and technical requirements.
The Variedades Theatre is classified in the Public Interest Set of Avenida da Liberdade, and its renovation work is integrated into the intervention in the Parque Mayer grounds, with the building included in the area of the Detailed Plan of Parque Mayer.
The project, designed by architect Manuel Aires Mateus, focused on simple construction solutions and renovated the main elements that characterize the building—the portico, the foyer, the auditorium, and the stage—completing it with a new functional environment, specifically through the construction of new access and circulation spaces between floors, support and service areas, and technical features.
The “new” Variedades Theatre has around 300 seats – with chairs designed by Architect Manuel Aires Mateus – distributed throughout the main hall, a bench, and boxes on the balcony level, as well as side boxes in the auditorium. The stage maintains its original dimensions (7.90m deep and 16.80m wide between walls, protruding about 3m from the proscenium).
The foyer, with triple ceiling height, integrates the portico of the main facade of the original construction and the original wooden windbreak. The glass-enclosed lounge has direct access to the outside and the hall. The ticket office is located in the foyer and includes a counter suitable for people with reduced mobility, and a compartment with lockers for public use.
It has 4 dressing rooms equipped with make-up counters and sinks, as well as sanitary facilities and showers for the artists.
The Variedades Theatre ensures accessibility for people with reduced mobility for the audience.
“The reopening of the Variedades Theatre is an extraordinary moment for the city of Lisbon and its vast artistic and cultural community. The new building, an iconic venue and nearly a century-old of Portuguese variety theatre, will bring a new dynamic to the city and enrich its cultural offerings, also contributing decisively to the revitalization of Parque Mayer as a reference centre of Lisbon culture,” emphasizes Pedro Moreira, Chairman of the Board of Egeac / LISBOA CULTURA.
“A stage for the city is the motto for the programming of the Variedades Theatre. A stage of sharing, diversity, and inclusion, where audiences, artists, and crews can meet, dialogue, and build this space, honouring the collective memory we have of Parque Mayer, centring it in the 21st century,” highlights Joaquim René, Director of the Variedades Theatre.
The Variedades Theatre was inaugurated on July 8, 1926 (a project by Architect Urbano de Castro) with the variety show “Pó de Arroz.” It was the second performance building on the Parque Mayer grounds, which was very popular in Lisbon in the past. Shows were held there until the 1990s (in 1992 it was the venue for the weekly RTP1 program “A Grande Noite,” directed by Filipe La Féria). Dedicated to variety theatre, it was home to great successes, with major casts featuring Beatriz Costa, Mirita Casimiro, and Vasco Santana.
The inauguration of the Variedades Theatre takes place in a festive atmosphere in Parque Mayer, with an intense and diverse cultural program throughout the weekend of October 5 and 6, marked by the debut of the play “Entraria nesta sala,” by Ricardo Neves-Neves. Admission to the shows at the Variedades Theatre, in the Capitólio, and outside Parque Mayer will be free, requiring ticket collection for the shows in the hall.
Complete the program for the reopening event available here.
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