About Us!

In its early years the group had a distinctly British flavour, in terms of the performers and the audience; expatriates entertaining expatriates. However, demographic and social changes over the past thirty years or so have meant that the company has had to reinvent itself in many ways, though it retains its original brief of performing in the English language. Its audience and its membership have become far more international, and Portuguese make up a large part of its audience as well as a sizeable proportion of performers and back-stage staff. Alain Oulman, Amália Rodrigues’ composer and friend directed many productions at Estrela Hall in the 1960s and 70s (the theatre features in Nicholas Oulman’s 2009 film Com que Voz) and over the years many well-known Portuguese performers have appeared on its stage. It recognized both as a good training ground for people who want to go on to make a career in the performing arts and as a valuable educational resource for schools and universities.