Staging Modernism

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.