Zé Celso Martinez: The Revolutionary of Theater and Customs

The playwright made his plays a form of political engagement and a way to combat prejudice

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (1997-02-05) by Evelson de FreitasFolha de S.Paulo

Free theater, for the people. Strong political engagement. In tune with social movements, as well as a great, constant artistic restlessness. Founder of Teatro Oficina in São Paulo.  These are some of the most common attributes highlighted when Zé Celso Martinez is mentioned.

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (1998-10-12) by Greg SalibianFolha de S.Paulo

His life is intertwined with the trajectory of popular Brazilian theater so intrinsically that at times it’s hard to distinguish one from the other. Zé Celso stood out for his use of bold language, which encouraged a true revolution in the performing arts.

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2010-09-27) by Adriano VizoniFolha de S.Paulo

An award-winning writer and director, his defining moment came when he gained national acclaim in 1967 with the staging of the play ‘O Rei da Vela,’ based on a text by Oswald de Andrade.

Teatro Oficina (1982-11-17) by Álvaro da CostaFolha de S.Paulo

Born in Araraquara, in the interior of São Paulo, Zé Celso graduated with a degree in law but never practised the profession. However, it was during his time at college that he founded Teatro Oficina and staged his first plays. 

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (1987-03-27) by Homero SérgioFolha de S.Paulo

Throughout the 1960s, the theater was located in the Rua Jaceguai building in Bela Vista, where it began to put on plays. As the civil-military dictatorship tightened its grip, Zé Celso began to suffer from the repression of his performances and texts, culminating in his arrest in 1974. 

He was detained for 20 days.

Teatro Oficina (1980-11-01)Folha de S.Paulo

This episode led him to leave the country and settle in Portugal, where he documented the Carnation Revolution. He later moved to Mozambique, where he documented the African country’s struggle for independence. However, by 1978 Zé Celso was back at Oficina.

Teatro Oficina (2000-06-27) by Eduardo KnappFolha de S.Paulo

Over the decades, he kept the theater active and fertile in terms of performances, and never imagined he would face such a significant corporate adversary as the Silvio Santos Group, owner of the land next to Oficina’s headquarters. 

Teatro Oficina (1982-11-17) by Álvaro da CostaFolha de S.Paulo

Several legal battles ensued, and the theater’s designation as a historical monument by the city of São Paulo, which only happened in 2010, finally removed any risk of the space being transformed into a mall as the group had wished.

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2010-12-17) by Rodrigo CapoteFolha de S.Paulo

Throughout this time, Zé Celso continued producing and writing shows. In the 1990s, he founded the Companhia Uzyna Uzona at Oficina, becoming even more famous with the staging of ‘The Bacchae’ by Euripides, which inspired many other artists.

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2000-12-20) by Eduardo KnappFolha de S.Paulo

In the 2000s, Zé Celso and Oficina presented a staging of a classic of Brazilian literature, ‘Os Sertões’ by Euclides da Cunha. The set design required a version of the Canudos camp to be built, as well as several musical stages incorporated into the play...

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2001-07-27) by Adriana ZehbrauskasFolha de S.Paulo

... the scenography featured more than 50 artists on stage, in a collective that included musicians, actors, and even children from the Bexigão community project. Besides ‘Os Sertões’ and its developments, Zé Celso also presented another show called ‘As Dionisíacas.’

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2015-02-13) by Ronny SantosFolha de S.Paulo

Zé Celso was a well-known personality in Brazilian life, the kind that transcends his field of work and spills over into other areas.

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2007-10-18) by Rogério CassimiroFolha de S.Paulo

He influenced the political and social life of the city of São Paulo and Brazil, and revolutionized customs, putting his progressive and indomitable mind to work at promoting art.

Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa (2016-04-11) by Ricardo BorgesFolha de S.Paulo

He was always concerned with making it accessible to all, beyond the barriers of financial cost – and he succeeded. 

Credits: Story

Copyright Folhapress. All rights reserved. Commercial use and/or reproduction of this photo or any part of it without express authorization and licensing from Folhapress is prohibited. To license this content, please contact pesquisa@folhapress.com.br.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Folha de São Paulo
Flip through an archive of a national daily newspaper
View theme

Interested in Performance?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites