Teatre: A Place for Transforming Time

Apr 29
2 min read

Masterclass of José Manuel Castanheira

José Manuel Castanheira is one of the most distinguished figures in contemporary scenography internationally, with a widely acclaimed career marked by collaborations with some of Europe’s leading theatre institutions. His work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and he is a member of both the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Spanish Academy of Performing Arts. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Cultural Merit Medal awarded by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.

This masterclass is dedicated to exploring stage space as a site of creation, reflection and transformation. Drawing on his extensive artistic practice, José Manuel Castanheira presents an approach to scenography as an expanded discipline, where architecture, dramaturgy and sensory experience intersect in the creation of “micro-geographies” for performance.

The programme explores creative processes, working methodologies and ways of conceiving theatrical space as an artistic laboratory. Participants will investigate the relationships between matter, light, memory and time, while engaging with scenography as an active language within contemporary performance-making.

Combining critical reflection with the sharing of artistic practices, the masterclass invites participants to rethink scenography as a dynamic and transformative force in contemporary creation.

PROGRAMME

1. A PLACE FOR PERFORMANCE

Atlas of an Imaginary Theatre. The Evolution of Theatre Architecture. Theatre and the City. The Forgotten Spectator.

2. SCENOGRAPHY LABORATORY

Flows, Fragmentation, Visual Complexity and New Diagrams. Dramaturgy, Research and Tools. Rehearsal Time and Performance. The Limits of the Body. Drawing, Models, Painting, Scenography and the Digital World.