Dear Friends, As we roll into the final week of our eventful 2025 spring/summer season with the hugely successful The Unfriend 🎭 opening its closing week run tomorrow (Info & Tickets), it is time to look forward to future paths and possibilities, in which spirit, we offer you the following public statement and invite you to sign the attached petition below:
PUBLIC STATEMENT
Seeking a Home to Continue Our Legacy
Last December marked a sad milestone for The Lisbon Players: five years since we were evicted from our beloved Estrela Hall. Estrela Hall was a hub for actors, directors, and audiences and the heart of our company from 1947 to 2019. Since then, we've faced major challenges in continuing our mission.
We were promised an alternative venue by the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (CML) when we lost Estrela Hall, so, as well as working tirelessly to keep presenting high-quality, English-language theatre in Lisbon since 2019, we have held constructive, ongoing negotiations with the CML to find a new location.
Despite positive communications from successive administrations – Catarina Vaz Pinto under Mayor Fernando Medina, and now Carlos Moedas and his team – no solution has been finalised. We fear another political cycle may end without decisive action – and we still need a permanent space in order to secure and continue our mission after decades of vibrant theatre-making and community engagement.
As Portugal's oldest active theatre company, we are committed to finding a space that honours our legacy and supports future growth. We know CML has the objective of helping us secure a long-term home, but the urgency of our situation needs to be recognised.
In the meantime, we've kept our creative spirit alive by staging productions in alternative venues, thanks to the incredible support of our community and hosting theatres. We are truly grateful. However, this situation is becoming unsustainable, and after five difficult years, we may no longer be able to continue offering the services we've fought to maintain.
To show the CML how vital The Lisbon Players are to Lisbon's cultural fabric, we are launching a petition. Your signature on it could make all the difference in helping us secure a new home.
Your voice is crucial. Whether you simply value the arts, or are a long-time member, or loyal audience member, your support helps ensure our legacy continues for generations to come. SIGN THE PETITION
Thank you for being part of our journey. Together, we can make the next chapter as inspiring as our rich history.
The Lisbon Players
Lisbon, July 2025 | 
