The reopening of the Teatro Nacional D.Maria II in Lisbon, closed since early 2023 for renovation works, has been postponed again by a year, and should reopen to the public in early 2026, due to delays in the project.
According to the board of directors of that theater, in a statement sent this Friday to the Lusa agency, “the The complexity of a project of this magnitude, in a historic building listed as a national monument, entails the risk of unforeseen events occurring. and complementary works, so it is now estimated that the Theater will reopen to the public in early 2026.”
The building, located in Plaza D. Pedro IV but known as Rossio, is undergoing “a profound intervention, involving the renovation and restoration of several areas of the building, including public, technical and backstage spaces.”
The TNDMII closed in early 2023 for redevelopment works, within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). It was initially expected to reopen a year later. However, in November 2023, the reopening date was postponed to early 2025.
“Taking into account that the initial deadline of 12 months had to be extended, due to the complexity of the work, to 16 months, this leads us to believe that the expected date for the completion of the work is October 2024, with the expectation that the theatre will be able to reopen to the public in January 2025, already completely remodeled and with its programming defined,” theatre manager Rui Catarino told reporters on 23 November 2023 in Faro.
Since its closure, the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II has been developing the “Odisea Nacional” programme in collaboration with municipalities from all regions of mainland Portugal and the islands.
In the statement sent to Lusa on Friday, the theatre says it has stepped up its activity, despite the closure of the building, “with the presentation of shows, participation projects, initiatives for school audiences, thought-provoking events, book presentations, training activities and an exhibition, in all regions of the country, assuming a role as an agent of territorial cohesion through culture.”
With the postponement of the reopening, next year D. Maria II”will continue to maintain its cultural activity throughout the country and also in Lisbon, with a regular programme, which will be announced in November of this year.“.
The National Monitoring Commission of the PRR has “worryingly” aggravated the implementation of the Cultural Heritage, in a report published on Wednesday.
In the field of Cultural Heritage there are red underlines in the “worrying assessment”, with admission of possible extension of deadlines, as occurs with the TNDMII.
Of the 76 investments planned in this segment of the PRR Culture area, which has a total value of 214.1 million euros and will be implemented by the end of the first quarter of 2026, more than half are still in the project or tender phase before the start of work. In this segment, only the measures of the Sabre Fazer programme, dedicated to the preservation and recognition of Portuguese artisanal production, have been completed.
PRR: Monitoring Committee raises the level of “worrying” in Cultural Heritage
The investment in the Cultural Heritage area includes interventions in 73 museums, monuments and palaces, worth 165.8 million euros, in two national theatres – S. Carlos and D. Maria – and in the Camões Theatre, for a total of 48.3 million, for a total of 214.1 million euros for 76 interventions.
The National Theatre of São Carlos will close for renovations at the end of this month and the Camões Theatre, closed since July last year, will reopen to the public in October.
Source: Observadora
