Joaquim Benite Municipal Theatre

This building is known as Teatro Azul [the Blue Theatre] and is implanted in the urban fabric of a neighbourhood built in the 1970s in the centre of Almada. Since its inauguration in 2005, the theatre has been a vital element in the urban requalification of this part of the city. The edifice is lined with the blue mosaic tiles used in swimming pools, the material of choice for the facades of the neighbouring buildings. The theatre’s colour derives from the client’s unexpected preference for the blue of the building’s Roofmate model. The inside has a main room, an experimental room, a rehearsal room that mirrors the dimensions of the stage, a bookshop, a workshop for activities with young persons, an exhibition gallery, and a cafeteria that doubles as a concert space. The dense and complex interior is illuminated by a set of patios that lit up the interior hallways. The entrance of the theatre showcases Máscaras [Masks], a bronze sculpture by José Aurélio, and the hall displays a series of paintings by Pedro Calapez, Nove Cenas para Um Teatro [Nine Scenes for a Theatre].