The mayor is going to propose the creation of a national theater for the magazine and guarantees that he already has a project for Parque Mayer.

In Portugal, theater magazine took the stage for the first time 170 years ago, at Teatro Gymnásio, with the play “Lisboa em 1850”, by Francisco Palha and Latino Coelho. Then, this theatrical genre, born in France in the second half of the 18th century, grew, catapulted the careers of dozens of Portuguese actors, sold out rooms and added seasons across the country. But it never lost its epicenter, Lisbon, birthplace of Parque Mayer, a sophisticated theater condominium inaugurated in 1922. The magazine, connoted with popular taste, reached the peak of the generation known in the 20th century. But, in escort of the 90s, it went into decline. The capacity is still full, but the Government does not support or encourage this work, the theater buildings are preparing to be emptied or replaced for other purposes and the country’s cultural institutions do not show availability to receive theater magazines in their programming.

It is in light of this diagnosis, and completely in counter-cycle, that the Lisbon president of the Parish of Santo António, Vasco Morgado, decided to present a proposal to the Municipal Assembly for the launch of a UNESCO candidacy. The mayor wants to see the magazine theater and Parque Mayer classified as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “It’s an old desire. Someone had to kick things off,” he told JN.