It's impossible to write the history of theatre in Portugal without taking a close look at TEP - Teatro Experimental do Porto, Portugal's oldest professional theatre company. Born in 1951, the TEP was, from the outset, a space for affirming modern staging in Portugal and for experimenting with new languages in terms of scenography and lighting.
The birth of this theatre creation structure is based on a desire for change, advocated by José Norton de Matos' candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic in 1949, which motivated the emergence of various political (and cultural) resistance movements in the city of Porto (and beyond). The company's first show premiered on 18 June 1953 at the Sá da Bandeira Theatre.