The construction of the Teatro da Trindade resulted from the initiative of the theatrical impresario Francisco Palha, who, on 10 October 1866, promoted the creation of a shareholders’ company to carry out the project. The new venue, designed by the architect Miguel Evaristo, was inaugurated on 30 November 1867 with the five-act drama A mãe dos pobres by Ernesto Biester, and the one-act comedy O Xerex da Viscondessa.¹
The theatre was directed by Francisco Palha himself until his death in 1890, presenting a variety of theatrical and musical-theatrical genres (notably the operas of Offenbach and a wide repertoire of zarzuela), and establishing itself as one of the most important institutions in Lisbon’s cultural life. An elegant adjacent hall—the Salão da Trindade, demolished in 1920—also hosted concerts and recitals.²
Between 1901 and 1919, under the direction of Afonso dos Reis Taveira, the programme consisted mainly of operetta, comedy, and revue theatre. In the 1908–1909 season, it even hosted a Portuguese opera company (including Isabel Fragoso, Delfina Victor, Maurício Bensaúde, and Júlio Câmara), which successfully performed A Serrana by Alfredo Keil.³
In 1920, the theatre closed and only reopened in 1925, after being completely rebuilt internally. Since then, its stage has hosted revue performances, music hall, dance (notably the Bailados Portugueses Verde Gaio), and spoken theatre. In 1962, the building was acquired by the F.N.A.T. (Federação Nacional para a Alegria no Trabalho), which restored it on the occasion of its centenary in 1967.
Its programming retained its characteristic diversity, with particular emphasis, between 1963 and 1975, on the activity of the Companhia Portuguesa de Ópera, directed by Serra Formigal, which adopted the Teatro da Trindade as its headquarters. After the 25 April 1974 Revolution, INATEL (successor to the FNAT) assumed control of the institution, and once again the eclectic orientation of its programming was maintained, as it was following the major restructuring works carried out in 1991.⁴
