Paschoal Carlos Magno (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 1906 - idem 1980) was an influential animator, producer, critic, author, and director who played a vital role in revitalizing the Brazilian theater scene. He founded both the Teatro do Estudante do Brasil and the Teatro Duse.
In 1926, Magno first made his mark as a heartthrob in Renato Viana's Abat-Jour. Two years later, he had a brief acting role in Alvaro Moreyra's Theater of Toy and began writing critical reviews for The Journal. In 1929, he spearheaded a significant fundraising campaign to establish the Student House in Brazil. His play Pierrot, staged in 1930 in Rio de Janeiro by Jaime Costa's company, earned him a prize from the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL).
In 1937, Magno founded the Teatro do Estudante do Brasil (TEB), inspired by European university theaters, to fulfill a pedagogical, theatrical, and artistic mission. This initiative introduced the role of theater director to Brazilian theater, with actress Italy Fausta directing the inaugural production of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare in 1938.
Magno's play Tomorrow Will Be Different received critical acclaim in London in 1946 and was subsequently performed in several European countries and Brazil. That same year, he began writing a critical column for the newspaper Democracia, and the following year, he took on a similar role at Correio da Manhã, a position he held until 1961, where his influence on the theatrical landscape was considerable. In 1948, under his overall guidance and the direction of German Hoffmann Harnisch, TEB successfully staged Hamlet, which notably showcased the talent of young actor Sergio Cardoso at just 22 years old. Magno described Cardoso in his column as the greatest actor in Brazil. The success of this production, along with Magno's travels across Brazil, led to the establishment of student theaters in various cities.
In 1949, he presided over TEB's launch of a Shakespeare Festival in Rio de Janeiro, featuring Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and collaborated with singer Alda Pereira Pinto to create the Opera Experimental Theater.
In 1952, Magno took TEB on an extensive tour of northern Brazil, showcasing works by Sophocles, Euripides, William Shakespeare, Gil Vicente, Henrik Ibsen, and Martins Pena. That same year, he initiated another significant project: the Duse Theater, a small venue with around 100 seats set up in his Santa Tereza mansion. Inaugurated with João Sem Terra by Hermilo Borba Filho, the Duse operated with free admission until 1956, nurturing talents such as Aristoteles Soares, Francisco Pereira da Silva, Leo Vitor, Antônio Callado, Rachel de Queiroz, Paulo Moreira de Fonseca, and Maria Inez Barros de Almeida, thereby earning a prominent place in Rio de Janeiro's cultural landscape. Juscelino Kubitschek, then responsible for the cultural and university sector of the Presidency of the Republic, traveled the country seeking young talents and fostering spaces for their artistic expression. In 1958, Magno organized the first National Festival of Student Theaters in Recife, gathering over 800 young participants and establishing a tradition that continued for six festivals.
In 1962, Magno was appointed Secretary General of the National Council of Culture and organized the Caravan of Culture, which brought together 256 young artists from various Brazilian states to present theater, dance, and music performances, alongside exhibitions of visual arts and the distribution of books and records. He also promoted a similar initiative, the Barca de Cultura, on the São Francisco River in the 1970s. However, the political climate following the 1964 coup distanced him from centers of power and hindered his diplomatic career.
His last major project began in 1965 with the inauguration of Arcozelo Village in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, envisioned as a retreat for artists and intellectuals and a training center for various art forms. Unfortunately, the extensive undertaking depleted his finances, compelling him to sell his Santa Tereza home to cover debts. Despite some financial aid, it was insufficient, leading Magno to threaten the closure of the village. To this day, Arcozelo remains under the control of the National Foundation of Scenic Arts.
Critic Yan Michalski summarizes Magno's contributions to Brazilian theater, stating, "Paschoal Charlemagne, a natural person, was in fact an institution: alone, although always helped by legions of young people who knew how to infect the mystique of his utopias, he almost came to exercise sometimes a function that would fit into an informal Ministry of Culture." While Magno's ambitious projects often faced scrutiny for their seemingly utopian nature, his commitment to fostering talent and supporting worthy causes left an indelible mark on the Brazilian theatrical landscape.
