Diretores

Born in Araraquara, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1937. The director, playwright, actor, activist, moved to the city of São Paulo to study law at USP. In 1958, alongside his colleagues from the law school, he founded Teatro Oficina, one of the most important Brazilian theater companies, based in Bixiga, São Paulo. After that, Zé Celso has staged numerous plays at Teatro Oficina, including “O Rei da Vela” (1967), “Roda Viva” (1967-1968) and “As Três Irmãs” (1972). In 1974, he was forced to live in exile during the Brazilian dictatorship. In Portugal, he made the documentaries “O Parto” (1975) —about the Carnation Revolution— and “25” (1977) —about the independence of Mozambique—, both co-directed with Celso Luccas. Among his most recent productions at Teatro Oficina are “Os Sertões” (staged in five acts during the 2000s) and “Waiting for Godot” (2022). Zé Celso died on July 2023, in São Paulo.