It was in 2000 that Mário Montenegro and Nuno Pinto created Marionet, a theater company that focuses its work on the intersection of performing arts, theater in particular, with science. Both actors aspired to create an artistic project where they would have decision-making power. And so it was. With 23 years of existence, Marionet has already released more than fifty theater performances.
“The Revolution of the Celestial Bodies”, in 2001, was the first play that crossed theater with science, exploring the history of Cosmology on stage (the area of astronomy that studies the origin, structure and evolution of the Universe based on the scientific methods) and it was from there that they realized that there could be a new area to explore on theater.
All of the Company’s artistic creations are based on a scientific theme that has been investigated and understood with the collaboration of Scientists: there are several scientific institutions, personalities, entities and/or companies with strong scientific connections, national and international, with whom Marionet has been working. Furthermore, Marionet participates in advanced training projects in scientific research centers and is involved in participatory science projects.
Despite its longevity, the Company doesn’t have a fixed location for public presentations and, therefore, its shows can be seen on other stages such as the “Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente”, the “Convento São Francisco” and the “Teatro da Cerca de São Bernardo”. Due to the scientific nature of the pieces, presentations have already taken place in places such as the “Museum of Science of the University of Coimbra“, its “Botanical Garden” and “Municipal Library of Coimbra”.