Venue: Teatro Villa-Lobos
Town: Rio de Janeiro, BR

The Villa-Lobos Theater (Portuguese: Teatro Villa-Lobos) is located in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It opened in 1979 and belongs to the Anita Mantuano Foundation for the Arts of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Fundação Anita Mantuano de Artes do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - FUNARJ), which is linked to the Rio de Janeiro State Department of Culture (Secretaria Estadual de Cultura do Rio). Located in Copacabana, the theater was designed by Raphael Matheus Peres, whose main concern was to adapt the structure to the site, located over an ocean interceptor. Financed by the Rio de Janeiro State Theater Foundation (Fundação Estadual de Teatros do Rio de Janeiro - Funterj) and conceived by Adolfo Bloch and Geraldo Matheus, construction began in 1978 and finished thirteen months later. It was named after maestro Heitor Villa-Lobos, one of the greatest composers in Brazilian history. It opened on March 8, 1979 with the play Pato com laranja, starring Paulo Autran and Marília Pêra, staged the following day. The house had three stage spaces: the main stage, the Monteiro Lobato room (Space II) and the Arnaldo Niskier room (Space III). The building's facade consisted of concrete arcades, with marble and granite cladding on the inside. The risk of fire was reduced by installing fireproof coverings, such as synthetic velvet in the audience. A set of dressing rooms, three rehearsal rooms, a canteen for the artists, two kitchens, a doctor's office and a pharmacy were built in a four-storey block. It included a children's area whose main attraction was a puppet show created in a miniature room. After being closed for some time, the theater reopened in 1984 with a musical program in honor of the 25th anniversary of Villa-Lobos' death. It also announced the creation of a music room and two bars on the site to occupy the space. In 1987, it underwent conservation work coordinated by the same team responsible for the construction. In 1990, Ítalo Rossi assumed the management of the ven