In the 19th century, Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the Portuguese Empire and, with pretensions of being a European city, needed a theater for opera performances. Theater had already been an activity carried on in the city since the colonial period, as an important tool of education and information for a mostly illiterate population. Aside from other small performance houses of the 18th century (such as Padre Ventura's Casa da Ópera in 1767, or Manuel Luiz's theater in 1776), the Real Teatro de São João (1813) was the first to be built after the arrival of the royal family, who ordered the construction of a "decent theater" (Correio da Manhã, 06/28/1930, p. 3). Afterward, other theaters came up in the same area as today's Praça Tiradentes, where entertainment venues were concentrated.
Image description: This is an old photograph of a theater. On the left side, we see a small structure with a sloped roof. In the center, there is a large white building with classical architecture, possibly the Theatro Municipal. In front of the theater, there is a wrought-iron fence with railings. On the right, we see a horse-drawn carriage. The background features other buildings and trees.Image of Teatro São Pedro, Praça Tiradentes. Marc Ferrez, circa 1870. It was built on the site of Teatro de São João, which burned down in 1824. In 1928, the theater needed renovations, and the then mayor, Antônio Prado Júnior, ordered its demolition and the construction of a new building, the Theatro João Caetano (1930).
Around 1894, Arthur Azevedo, the greatest author and promoter of the consolidation of the national theater, concerned with ensuring that these activities were associated with the modernization process, launched a campaign for the construction of a theater worthy of the capital of Brazil, one that could be home to the first Brazilian theater company modeled after the Comédie Française. Neither the campaign nor the subsequent 1895 municipal law, created to raise funds for the theater's construction, succeeded. Only in 1903, during the administration of Mayor Pereira Passos, did the project for a new theater take shape.
A competition was held in order to approve the best proposal for the construction of the theater. Of the seven proposals submitted, the projects
Áquilla,
by Francisco de Oliveira Passos - son of Pereira Passos - and
Isadora,
The project by Albert Guilbert -- vice-president of the Association of French Architects -- tied for first place. The political solution found was to merge the two projects into one, since both used the typology of the Opéra de Paris (1875) as their basis.
Construction of the Teatro Municipal began in 1905, and the project was considered the most advanced of the urban reform. To decorate the interior, the city's leading artists were brought in, such as Eliseu Visconti, creator of the stage curtains and the ceiling paintings, Rodolfo Amoedo, and the Bernardelli brothers, responsible for the paintings and sculptures. The stained-glass windows and mosaics were created by European craftsmen. In all, 280 workers labored in two shifts for four years, without interruption.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of a theater under construction. On the left side, we see smaller buildings and a street with people walking. In the center, the main theater is under construction, with wooden structures and tiles covering parts of the building. The roof has decorative domes and a large eagle on top. On the right, there is a small structure and more smaller buildings. The ground is paved with stones.Theatro Municipal under construction. Augusto Malta, 1907. Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Instituto Moreira Salles.
With a capacity for 1,739 spectators, the great Carioca theater was inaugurated in 1909, with the presence of the President of the Republic - Nilo Peçanha - and Francisco de Souza Aguiar, mayor of the city. The Assirius restaurant, decorated in Assyrian style, set the avant-garde tone. The facades drew attention for their combination of classical and baroque elements and for the bronze and glass dome. The sad note at the inauguration came from the death of the theater's creator. Arthur Azevedo died before seeing the finished work. Besides hosting performances, the Theatro Municipal itself became a spectacle and was added to the icons of the Passos Reform.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of the Theatro Municipal. On the left side, we see a series of smaller buildings and a tree. In the center, the Theatro Municipal, with its majestic façade, features columns and decorative arches. On the right, there is another large building, similar to the one in the center, but less ornate. In the foreground, we see a stone fence and some trees. The sky is overcast, giving the image a somber tone.Façade of the Theatro Municipal. Augusto Malta, circa 1910. Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Instituto Moreira Salles.
