ULusófona Researcher Participates in the 1st Mirandese Folk Theatre Biennial

Patrícia Ferraz de Matos, Anthropologist and Integrated Researcher at CeiED, Lusófona University, was invited by the Tradifols, Artes & Ritmos Association to moderate the roundtable discussion “Mirandese Folk Theatre and Its Origins”, held in Miranda do Douro (Póvoa), in the region of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.

The panel featured: António Bárbolo Alves (Centre for Literary Studies at UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro – and the Lisbon Academy of Sciences); José Borges Pinto (collector of folk theatre materials during the 1970s); Waldemar Gonçalves (folk theatre director); and António Garcia (teacher and theatre director).

The roundtable formed part of the programme of the 1st Mirandese Folk Theatre Biennial, which took place in Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, across the localities of Miranda do Douro, Póvoa and Duas Igrejas, between 22 and 23 May.

In addition to the roundtable, the programme included: a visit to a secondary school to discuss folk theatre with students; performances of two plays, one (A Confissão do Vicente Marujo) staged by the local group Mafarricos, and another (A Tia Lucrécia) performed by the guest group GEFAC – Ethnography and Folklore Group of the Coimbra Academic Association; the launch of the book Bienal de Teatro Popular Mirandês: Quadros que cúntan, lhembráncias que quédan, coordinated by Manuel Castro Lopes, with texts by Alcides Meirinhos, António Bárbolo Alves, José Borges Pinto and GEFAC, and published (with texts in Portuguese and Mirandese) by the Tradifols, Artes & Ritmos Association (Duas Igrejas, 2026); as well as guided tours and traditional street parades.

This event, aimed at a broad audience and attended primarily by local residents, marked an important moment for reflection on the role of Mirandese folk theatre and its connections with medieval morality plays within the culture of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, as well as its significance as an element of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.