Highlights of the September–December programme at Theatro Circo include the world premiere of a new work by Sara Barros Leitão, music from Stranger Things performed by composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, the Remix Ensemble performing works by Pierre Boulez and Frank Zappa, and Marlene Monteiro Freitas.
Also featured are the launch concerts for the new albums by Glockenwise and Sensible Soccers, Raquel André’s performance marking the 20th anniversary of the reopening of Theatro Circo, and the fourth edition of PARAÍSO, featuring the Cesária Évora Orchestra.
In the Performing Arts programme, a highlight is the world premiere of Nós, Sozinhas (We, Alone), the latest creation by actress and director Sara Barros Leitão, with three performances taking place from 18 to 20 September. As part of the premiere, another session of Formas de Fazer will be held on 19 September, entitled Um processo, acompanhado (A Process, Accompanied), in which the artist will share the creative process behind the production. Connected to this presentation, the Contexto series welcomes Ana Campos and Rita Rato on 26 September for a discussion on reproductive rights and abortion, marking almost 20 years since Portugal's most recent referendum on the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy.
As part of Supracasa, Faz Cultura's performing arts support programme, Assimétrico will be presented on 3 October. Created by dancer and choreographer Beatriz Valentim together with Miguel Santos, the work draws inspiration from the performances of David Byrne (Talking Heads).
On 8 and 9 October, the Frente e Verso series presents the multidisciplinary performance Úlulu by Raquel Lima, alongside GoldenLady by Mercedes Quijada, performed by dancers Sara Santervás and Melina Koulia together with the Coro Mulheres do Minho. This production is also supported through the Supracasa programme. Raquel Lima will also give a talk as part of the Formas de Fazer series, entitled Ancestralidade Anarquista (Anarchist Ancestry), on 9 October.
Composer, sound designer and instrumentalist Mariana Leite Soares presents Absoluto on 30 October. The following day, 31 October, artist Raquel André premieres A Fila J é a melhor (Row J Is the Best), a performance celebrating the 20th anniversary of Theatro Circo's reopening, in which the venue's audience will become both participants and protagonists.
On 13 November, Victor Hugo Pontes joins Companhia Maior to present A esta hora, na infância neva (At This Hour, It Snows in Childhood), a dance performance featuring performers aged between 60 and 93. On 11 December, inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, Marlene Monteiro Freitas presents NÔT, a performance that evokes the urgency of storytelling as a vital act of resistance, survival and transformation, where each narrative unfolds endlessly into another.
In the Music programme, as part of Noite Branca, Nico & the Bluebirds will present their new album, Thank You, on 4 September. On 12 September, as part of PARAÍSO, the Cesária Évora Orchestra performs in Braga for the first time, featuring Ceuzany, Elida Almeida, Lucibela and Teófilo Chantre, together with many of the original musicians who accompanied the celebrated Cape Verdean artist.
Sensible Soccers will premiere their new album Camminando di Notte in Braga on 25 September. The following day, 26 September, fado singer Gisela João presents Inquieta (2025) in Braga for the first time, offering distinctive interpretations of songs by José Afonso, José Mário Branco, Fernando Lopes-Graça and others. Another Portuguese band choosing Theatro Circo to launch a new album live is Glockenwise, who present Vale tudo para chegar a algum lado on 10 October.
On 16 October, Vitorino, Janita and João Paulo Esteves, together with the Grupo de Cantadores do Redondo, take to the Main Auditorium as part of the Clube Raiz series, a legacy of Braga 25. On 21 October, Sinfonietta de Braga presents Ópera de Elevador (Elevator Opera), with music by Sofia Sousa Rocha and a libretto by Edward Ayres de Abreu and Tatiana Bina. On 7 November, Braga-based jazz musician Manuel Bellesa presents Cicloide (2025), an album that marks his return to the acoustic piano.
On 14 November, Emmy Award-winning composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein bring to Braga the complete live retrospective of the soundtrack spanning all five seasons of Stranger Things.
On 21 November, Lambchop return to Portugal to present their new album Punching the Clown. As part of the Contraponto series, ONCEIM (Orquestra de Novas Criações, Experimentações e Música Improvisada) presents the Portuguese premieres of two landmark works from its repertoire, by Caterina Barbieri and Eliane Radigue, who passed away in February this year, on 28 November. Then, on 4 December, Casa da Música's Remix Ensemble presents a programme featuring works by Pierre Boulez and Frank Zappa.
For younger audiences, the family programme begins with the workshop Voar muito perto do sol (Flying Too Close to the Sun), created by Hugo Barros and Sara Garcia. The workshop invites participants to reflect on the concept of freedom through our relationship with space, particularly the experience of inhabiting domestic space, with sessions on 26 September and from 13 to 15 October.
On 6 and 7 November, Ocelo, directed and performed by Daniela Cruz, offers a sensory and multidisciplinary performance for younger audiences, inspired by the need to look positively at the world around us.
On 20 and 21 November, Nuvens (Clouds), created by Joana Araújo, Maria Mónica and Ricardo Baptista, is presented for younger audiences. This is followed by Oru Kami, by Aurora Miranda and Joana Mafalda Araújo, on 28 November, and Cinema Play on 12 December, another screening programmed by PLAY – Lisbon International Children's and Youth Film Festival, bringing the family programme to a close.
The fourth edition of PARAÍSO takes place on 11 and 12 September, with this year's programme curated by BANTUMEN, CONCILIARE and Kitty Furtado.
On 11 September, Centésima Página Bookshop hosts the discussion What Forms of Existence Can We Create Between What We Inherit and What We Build?, featuring David Ferreira, Isabel Macedo and Saidatina Khady Dias, moderated by Marisa Rodrigues (BANTUMEN). That evening, gnration screens the film Si Destinu (2016), directed by Vanessa Fernandes, followed by a conversation between the director and Kitty Furtado.
On Saturday, 12 September, activities are centred at gnration, beginning with the presentation of the Anti-Racist Manual for the Arts and Education by União Negra das Artes, followed by a community lunch featuring cachupa prepared by chef Ana Teresa Correia. In the afternoon, CONCILIARE curates the discussion Art, Participation and Practices of Contesting Coloniality: The Role of Collective Creation in Building Alternative Futures, with António Zaqueu, Luege D' Olim and Sarina Azevedo, moderated by Luiza Lins. The afternoon concludes with a dance workshop led by Eddie Folige and DJ Chipula. That evening, Theatro Circo hosts the Cesária Évora Orchestra, featuring Ceuzany, Elida Almeida, Lucibela and Teófilo Chantre.
The 16th edition of Semibreve, taking place from 22 to 25 October, brings to Theatro Circo artists including Nuno Canavarro & Bruno Miguel Pinto/Radiant Rift, Malcolm Pardon & Gustaf Broms, PYUR & Tarik Barri, Sam Slater & Guests, Qasim Naqvi & Steven Wendt, and Fennesz & Oscar Jockel. The Semibreve programme also features workshops, commissioned works, installations and performances across several of Braga's landmark historical and cultural venues, including Igreja dos Congregados, Capela Imaculada and gnration.
Encontros da Imagem returns to Theatro Circo for its 36th edition under the theme Territory and Identity, presenting a new project by Rita Magalhães inspired by works from Museu Nogueira da Silva. The Porto-based artist brings together photography, painting and visual memory to explore the plastic qualities of the landscape.