Patrícia Galvão Cultural Center
The city’s main arts complex, the Patricia Galvão Cultural center comprises the Brás Cubas Municipal Theater, the Rosinha Mastrângelo Arena Theater, the Santos Museum of Image and sound (MISS), the Roldão Mendes Rosa Newspaper Library , and the Braz Cubas and Patricia Galvão art galleries. The building is also home to the Municipal Department of Culture, as well as workshops and regular courses in the areas of scenic arts, visual arts, music, dance, audiovisual and general culture.
Capacity
With 544 seats offering a perfect view of the 543 m² stage, the Braz Cubas Municipal Theater, named after the founder of the Vila de Santos, was designed to stage ballet, song recitals, plays, and some operas.
Stage
The theater occupies a space of 5130 m² and the stage is equipped with scenic lighting, moving sets and cyclorama (special effects projection). The acoustics are the work of Polish architect Ivo Sresnewsky.
Patricia Galvão Cultural Center
Considered to be the city’s main work of contemporary architecture, the Patricia Galvão cultural center was partially inaugurated in January 1972, as part of the celebrations commemorating the 133rd anniversary of Santos’ elevation to the status of city. The theater, however, was only opened March 10, 1979. It is in this center that the main cultural events in Santos take place, such as the National Biennial of Visual Arts, and the New Music and Amateur Theater festivals.
Patrícia Galvão
Santos owes the creation of this cultural center to writer and journalist Patrícia Galvão, Pagu (born in São João da Boa Vista, June 9, 1910 — died Santos, December 12, 1962). One of the most important motivators of Santos culture in the 1960s, she organized a huge campaign for the construction of a municipal theater in the city – but her dream only came true 17 years after her death. She also founded the Association of Professional Journalists and created the Santos Amateur Theater Union, where such aspiring actors as Aracy Balabanian, José Celso Martinez Correa, Sérgio Mamberti and Plínio Marcos would perform.
