Venue: Teatro João Caetano
Address: Praça Tiradentes, s/n - Centro, Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Town: Rio de Janeiro, BR

The João Caetano Theater (Portuguese: Teatro João Caetano) is located in Tiradentes Square, in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It offers 1,139 seats, including 605 in the audience, 117 in the noble balcony and 417 in the simple balcony. It is the oldest playhouse in the city. The João Caetano Theater was inaugurated on October 12, 1813 by Dom John VI under the name Royal Theater of São João (Real Theatro de São João) in celebration of his son Dom Pedro I's 15th birthday. The inauguration included the performance of O Julgamento de Nunes by the Portuguese writer and playwright Dom Gastão Fausto da Câmara Coutinho, with music by Bernardo José de Souza e Queiroz, the theater's official composer. Dom John VI became a frequent attendee of the theater, which made the place the meeting point for political and social life.Built with stones destined for Rio de Janeiro's cathedral, the construction occurred on land acquired by Fernando José de Almeida; engineer João Manuel da Silva was responsible for the neoclassical design. The facade resembled the Royal Theater of São Carlos in Lisbon, designed by José da Costa e Silva, who came to Rio de Janeiro in 1812. In 1821, Dom Pedro I became Prince Regent and swore allegiance to the Portuguese Constitution from one of the theater's balconies. In the same year, the building was painted inside and out. In 1824, the first Brazilian Constitution was promulgated at the venue in the presence of Emperor Dom Pedro I and Empress Leopoldina. During the ceremony, at the end of the performance of the sacred drama Vida de Santo Hermenegildo, the theater started to catch fire. The theater reopened on January 22, 1826, Empress Leopoldina's birthday, under the name Imperial Theater of São Pedro de Alcântara (Imperial Theatro de São Pedro de Alcântara). The ceremony included the opera Tancredo, by Gioachino Rossini. It closed for the completion of the renovation and reopened on April 4 of the same year. It had 100 boxes distributed in four se