Esta Noite Grita-se returns for its 9th edition with new texts, new voices and the same dedication to the power of interpreted reading.
From October to December 2025, we will bring theater out loud to libraries and cultural spaces in Lisbon, Faro and Lagos.
Since 2017, the series has read 42 texts by different authors, with another 5 to be added in 2025. With its epicenter in Lisbon, the program has been extended to other latitudes, with a focus on the Algarve, in collaboration with Teatro das Figuras (Faro) and the Centro Cultural de Lagos.
After nine editions, we reaffirm what we've always known: the relationship with the text is never exhausted. There are still many dramaturgies to be discovered—and interpreted readings are not the poor relation of theater or literature. They are a unique and vibrant way of presenting texts in a living state, activating the imagination of listeners and revealing the performers in a game of discovery, proximity, and performative intensity.
AGENDA
THE ARSONISTS
Max Frisch
17/18/19/23/24
OCTOBER
BOTA-ANJOS
BIBLIOTECA DOS CORUCHÉUS
BIBLIOTECA DE MARVILA
BIBLIOTECA MUNICIPAL DE FARO
CENTRO CULTURAL DE LAGOS
ONE DAY I DREAMED THAT
A SNAKE APPEARED
Mariana Antão
BOTA-ANJOS
BIBLIOTECA DOS CORUCHÉUS
BIBLIOTECA DE MARVILA
31
OCTOBER
01/02
NOVEMBER
CAP AND BELLS
Luigi Pirandello
14/15/16/20/21
NOVEMBER
BIBLIOTECA PALÁCIO GALVEIAS
CASA DO COMUM
FÁBRICA BRAÇO DE PRATA
BIBLIOTECA MUNICIPAL DE FARO
CENTRO CULTURAL DE LAGOS
MEET ME AT DAWN
Zinnie Harries
28/29/30
NOVEMBRO
BIBLIOTECA PALÁCIO GALVEIAS
CASA DO COMUM
FÁBRICA BRAÇO DE PRATA
NEW PLAYWRITING
PRIZE FOR
FEMALE
AUTHORS
6/7/11/12
DEZEMBRO
FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN
BIBLIOTECA MUNICIPAL DE FARO
CENTRO CULTURAL DE LAGOS
In the early days of Esta noite grito-se, we decided to take advantage of the pleasure of reading theater texts by inviting professional performers and then - why not? - bringing it to the public.
We've always been driven by the process of discovering, together with others, words and silences, possible meanings, implicit ideas, and states of mind… even when the texts tripped us up at every turn. It's in this limbo, between understanding, embodiment, and communication, that we try to work on our readings. Never satisfied with what we have, we thought about extending this process to our audience, whether they're passionate readers, theater lovers, or simply curious.
We therefore created the Reading Workshop, to share, over the course of two mornings, what we love about these texts and discover ways to interpret them.
The Workshop is aimed at the general public and takes place between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, being divided into two parts, which take place on November 1st and 2nd, at the Alcântara Library .
ESTA MANHÃ, GRITA-SE
Reading workshop
01/02
NOVEMBER
BIBLIOTECA DE ALCÂNTARA - JOSÉ DIAS COELHO
Workshop led by
Filipe Abreu and Miguel Maia
intended for the general public
NEW PLAYWRITING PRIZE FOR FEMALE AUTHORS
5th edition
This year, Esta noite grito-se launched the 5th edition of the New Playwriting Prize for Female Authors, a competition that aims to reinforce the voice of female-written dramaturgy, in a panorama in which gender inequality in theatrical creation continues to be present.
Between January 1st and March 31st, 2025, we received an impressive total of 133 entries from various Portuguese-speaking countries. The judging panel— Ana Lázaro , Inês Barahona , and Mickaël de Oliveira —had the difficult task of selecting the three finalists, which now move on to a mentoring phase with personalized support:
-
Immigrants , by Ema Fonseca
-
On Board , by Marta Prieto
-
Pedral , by Sabrina Marthendal
Through this mentoring process, the finalists had the opportunity to deepen and develop their texts in collaboration with the jury members, until the end of August.
The play chosen by the jury for the 2025 New Playwriting Prize for Female Authors will be announced on October 1st.
The winner receives a prize of €1,000, has their text published in a book by Companhia Cepa Torta in partnership with the publisher Douda Correria, and is included in the program of the 9th season of the Theater Text Reading Festival – Esta noite grita-se.
With this initiative, we reaffirm our commitment to the promotion, visibility and appreciation of female authors in the contemporary dramaturgical landscape.
Winners of previous editions:
2024 — Luz Ribeiro, with Lacuna
2023 — Sofia Perpétua, with Tank
2022 — Maria Giulia Pinheiro, with This Is Not Relevant
2021 — Lara Mesquita, with Whenever I Wake Up
For more information about the New Female Drama Award, visit our page here
Meet our Jury
In this 5th edition of the New Playwriting Prize for Female Authors, we are pleased to welcome three individuals with renowned careers in playwriting. Learn more about each of them by reading their biographies.
GUEST STRUCTURE
Teatro Meridional is a Portuguese theater company, founded in 1992 by Miguel Seabra and Natália Luiza, who continue to be the artistic directors and responsible for the company's creative direction.
Based in Lisbon's Marvila neighborhood, Teatro Meridional is recognized for its artistic work, which focuses on scenic simplicity, dramatic rigor, and the expressiveness of its actors. Its history has been marked by a strong sense of touring, with regular performances throughout the country and abroad, always committed to decentralization and proximity to audiences.
Over the years, the company has explored a wide range of languages and formats, from classic and contemporary texts to original creations. Its work has been widely recognized, including the Europa Prize – New Theatre Realities (2000) and several Critics' Awards from the Portuguese Association of Theatre Critics.
The Teatro Meridional headquarters serves as a center for creation, research, and artistic reception, remaining an essential reference in the Portuguese theater scene.
The text selected to be part of this Season of Esta noite grito-se, “Um dia sonhei que surgeu uma cobra”, by Mariana Antão, was the result of the 2023 edition of the Dramaturgy Laboratory, a project conceived by Teatro Meridional in collaboration with the Center for Theater Studies of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.
This initiative has been running since 2012 and aims to encourage the creation of original texts in Portuguese, bringing together writers and a panel of artists and academics in a collaborative effort that accompanies the writing of a text.
PODCAST
Eesta noite grita-se
A podcast of theater readings
Over the past few years, our audience has emphasized the act of active listening that readings provoke, an experience that invites the viewer to imagine the scenes unfolding and become the director of the play they are listening to.
To increase our reach and bring this experience to more people, we launched the podcast Esta noite grito-se (This Night We Scream), which will cover the programming of recent editions, offering in each episode a read text that awaits those who listen.
The Esta noite grito-se podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms, as well as on our YouTube channel and our website .
TICKET OFFICE
Tickets can be purchased online, on the BOL platform , or locally on the day of each reading.
Ticket price: €5
For sessions at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, admission is free, subject to room capacity. Tickets can be picked up on the day itself at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ticket office.
CREDITS
Artistic Direction - Filipe Abreu and Miguel Maia
Actors - Ana Brandão, Claudia Oliveira, Dalila Carmo, Diana Melo, Filipe Abreu, João Cabral, Lucia Pires, Luisa Ortigoso, Margarida Cardeal, Miguel Maia, Paulo Duarte Ribeiro, Pedro Saavedra, Rita Loureiro, Rita Silvestre, Rui Neto, Teresa Vaz, Wagner Borges (rest of the cast to be confirmed)
Production - Lara R. Santos and Raquel Rolim Batista
Pre-Production - Beatriz Sousa
Communication - Sónia Godinho
Press Office - Mafalda Simões
Photography - Sónia Godinho
Graphic Design - Edoardo Trave
Audiovisual Recording - James Newitt
CHECK OUT the previous editions of TONIGHT GRITA-SE
FUNDED STRUCTURE
SUPPORTS
PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNER
PRODUCTION
