John Romão
Executive and Artistic Director
John Romão is a Portuguese theatre director, producer, cultural programmer and curator. He has been working in theatre and cross-disciplinary arts practices. He studied Theatre at Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (Lisbon). Attended a post-graduation in Curatorial Studies at FCSH – New University of Lisbon. He studied Contemporary Art Aesthetics and Theories at National Society of Fine Arts (Lisbon). He took part of the internacional theatre project École des Maîtres (2005), directed by Rodrigo García.
Founder, executive and artistic director of BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts (www.bocabienal.org) since 2015, in Lisbon, through which he develops synergies between cities and cultural institutions, commissions and curates projects based on transdisciplinarity: Tania Bruguera, Gus Van Sant, Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Meg Stuart, Salomé Lamas, Vhils, João Maria Gusmão & Pedro Paiva, Tânia Carvalho, among others.
In theatre, he worked with Tania Bruguera, Romeo Castellucci, Rodrigo García, Tiago Rodrigues, Jorge Andrade, Mariana Tengner Barros, Jorge Silva Melo, Jean-Paul Bucchieri or Maria João Machado.
He develops his work as theatre director since 2001: “The Theatre and the Plague” by Antonin Artaud, in collaboration with filmmaker Salomé Lamas (2020), “Romeo and Juliet” (National Theatre D. Maria II, 2020), “Virgin Suicides” (Culturgest, 2020), “Pocilga” by Pasolini (Culturgest, 2015) or “Teorema” (São Luiz Teatro Municipal, 2014) are some of his pieces. His work was presented in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Brasil, Argentina and Australia.
For 11 years (2006-2017) he worked as dramaturg and assistant director to the Spanish-Argentine theater diretor and dramaturg Rodrigo García, in theatre and opera, at Festival d’Avignon, Théâtre National de Bretagne, Schaubuhne Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, BSN Annecy, Centre Dramatique National de Madrid, touring extensively in several international theatres and festivals. He was assistant director of Romeo Castellucci in the Venice Theatre Biennial / Biennale College (2010-11) and represented him at the Festival d’Avignon in the project Voyages du Kadmos (2012).
He has often been lecturing Theatre Practices in universities such as Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (ESTC) and Escola Superior de Dança (ESD).
As creative director and producer, he conceived and implemented several projects: RExFORM International Performance Project (2020-), in partnership with MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (Lisbon); Ecotemporâneos, in partnership with EGEAC (Lisbon’s City Council); founder and director of Futurama – Cultural and Artistic Ecosystem in Baixo Alentejo (2020-), in Beja, Mértola, Serpa and Castro Verde.
His work has won some distinctions and awards: Portuguese Most Inventive Personality 2019 / Expresso newspaper; Prémios Novos 2014 – Theatre; National Young Creatives 2012 – Theatre; Almada Terra das Artes e da Criatividade 2010.