Staging Modernism

The stage design works of António Soares, a key figure of Portuguese modernism (1915-1945)

By National Theatre and Dance Museum

Museu Nacional do Teatro e da Dança

Teatro Apolo (1914) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Early stage works

António Soares began working for the stage since early 1910's,  designing posters and other graphic materials. Those works reveal the elegance and modernity of his drawing.

"Flor da Rua" - poster, António Soares, 1913, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Teatro Apolo, António Soares, 1914, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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"Suite Bergamesque, Ballets Russes" (1917) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

The fascination of the dance

The experience of the Ballets Russes' Lisbon performances was an aesthetical breakthrough for António Soares. He immediately begun a research on the representation of dance and mouvement.

"Leviana" - cover (1922) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

The modernism activist

António Soares stands up for the Portuguese modernist mouvement. He collaborates in several modernist actions and publications, being close to António Ferro, one of the key figures of the mouvement. Soares participates in one of the more important modernist artistic initiatives, the decoration of the Brasileira coffee palace

"Café da Noite" (1925) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Detail from António Soares' "Café da Noite" painting.

Berta Singerman - drawing (1926) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

A fascination for Berta Singerman

Fascinated by the Argentinian-russian diseuse and actress Berta Singerman, artist praised by Portuguese modernists, António Soares became close to Singerman, makes several drawings of her and some sketches for the sets of her performances.

"Olha a Bertha" - drawing (1926) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Detail from "Olha a Bertha" drawing.

Berta Singerman - drawing, António Soares, 1926, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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António Soares and Berta Singerman (1926)National Theatre and Dance Museum

Berta Singerman, daughter and husband with António Soares [probably in Avenida Palace Hotel, Lisbon].

"A Rambóia" - drawing (1928) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Modernizing the stages: first steps

Since 1927, António Soares will become one of the more important artists that contributed to the renovation of the Portuguese revue, drawing the modernist curtains for the Rambóia performances (1928) and several other Lisbon theatrical shows.

Detail from "Rambóia" curtain study with stylized regional costumes.

Lea Niako (1928) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Body and nudity

Lea Niako was one of the first dancers to surprise and shock the Portuguese society with her performances of nudity on stage. Her beauty fascinated António Soares.

Lea Niako (1928) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Lea Niako on stage, 1928, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Bristol Club - drawing (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Lisbon's modern clubs

Since mid 1920's several nightclubs and a few other more tradicional clubs and coffee palaces renovate their decoration to suit a modern and cosmopolitan taste. António Soares was engaged in several renovation Works.

"Baile das Artes" - drawing (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Detail of screen with Harlequin.

Detail of screen with cosmopolitan woman.

Detail of screen with cosmopolitan woman.

Bristol Club - drawing, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Bristol Club - drawing, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Bristol Club - drawing (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Detail of drawing for Bristol Club, dancers.

Bristol Club - drawing, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Auto portrait, drawing, António Soares, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Maria Germana (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

A dance circle

In the late 1920's, António Soares became close to a dance circle that gathered around the dancer Francis Graça and was about to change dance practices in Portugal. Soares was close to Natacha Baltrina, a Letonian dancer that performed on Portuguese stages with Francis and particularly with Maria Germana, a pupil of Francis that soon would become his wife.

Natacha - drawing, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Maria Germana, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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Maria Germana, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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"Mulher de verde" - drawing, António Soares, 1929, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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"Visão Sintética de Nova Iorque" - drawing (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Designing a modern "Revista à Portuguesa"

Since late 1920's António Soares was a leading set designer for the "Revista à Portuguesa" a music-hall-vaudeville theatrical genre that became considerably popular in Portugal. Some of his creations were striking, influenced other artists and helped to change the public's taste towards modernism.

"Chá de Parreira" - drawing (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

"Visão Sintética de Nova Iorque" - drawing (1929) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

A modern view: a glimpse into skyscrapers.

A modern view: Zeppelin' glance.

A modern view: the Brooklin bridge deck.

"Furta Cores" - drawing (1933) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Suggesting tropicalism, a monkey in a coconut tree.

"Henrique IV" - drawing (1930) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Modernism and set designing

Circa 1930, António Soares begun colaborating with the major Portuguese Theatrical companies in their important productions. His modern stage work was granted and contributed to change set design.

"A Boneca e os Fantoches" - drawing (1930) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

A cosmopolitan decoration emphasizes the play's contemporary character.

"Henrique IV" - drawing (1930) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

A detail of the feature's rich set design project. In the right panel a spectre suggesting the ambiguous psichological nature of the main character.

"Henrique IV" - drawing, António Soares, 1930, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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"Entre Acto de Bailado" - painting (1926) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Detail of the painting "Atrás dos bastidores" [In the backstage] with a dancer and two pierrot figures.

"Electra-A Mensageira dos Deuses" - drawing (1945) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Erudite set designing

For Jean Giraudoux's "Electra", António Soares designed a series of particularly erudite sketches, inspired in Louis Jouvet's  staging of that play for the Studio des Champs-Élysées theater.

"Electra-A Mensageira dos Deuses" - drawing, António Soares, 1945, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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"Electra-A Mensageira dos Deuses" - drawing (1945) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

Detail of a sketch for the set design of Electra.

"Electra-A Mensageira dos Deuses" - drawing (1945) by António SoaresNational Theatre and Dance Museum

"Electra-A Mensageira dos Deuses" - drawing, António Soares, 1945, From the collection of: National Theatre and Dance Museum
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"Electra-A Mensageira dos Deuses" (1945)National Theatre and Dance Museum

Scene from "Electra" with actors Maria Lalande, Hortense Luz, Carmen Dolores, Assis Pacheco, João Villaret, António Silva e Ribeirinho.

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