1st-year architecture students combine architecture, theater, and sustainability in a material reuse project in partnership with Bemposta School.
The first-year Architecture students at ISMAT are developing the set for the play “Olívia”, which will be performed by the Theatre students from Bemposta Basic and Secondary School, under the direction of teacher Luiz Augusto Martins.
Inspired by the demands of a real stage design project, the work challenges students to design and build the stage space that will bring the play’s narrative to life. Under the coordination of professors Ana Bordalo and Vítor Oliveira Alves, the Architecture students are responsible for the spatial design of the set, the definition of atmospheres and the choice of materials, with a focus on reusing waste materials, in line with reuse principles, as well as the articulation between functionality and artistic expression.
The process includes research, drawing, model-making and construction phases, allowing students to experience all stages of developing a project in a real-world context. Throughout the creative process, there were several interactions between the architecture and theatre students, and the architecture students took part in a workshop led by set designer Marta Carreiras, which further enriched their training.
The collaboration between ISMAT and Bemposta Basic and Secondary School strengthens the connection between higher education and basic and secondary education, promoting students’ contact with other creative fields, such as theatre and the performing arts.
In addition to developing technical and creative skills, the project fosters teamwork and communication between different groups of students.
The play “Olívia”, by Mariana Jones, will premiere on 24 April at 6:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Bemposta Schools Group and will later be performed at TEMPO – Portimão Municipal Theatre. The play has also been submitted to take part in the Paredes Theatre Festival.
