About
Terceira Pessoa
An arts organisation founded in 2012 by Ana Gil and Nuno Leão.
We work in three strands — Creation, Engagement and Programming — and in all three we bring art forms together: theatre, dance, performance, literature, the visual arts and digital art.
Out of this come works of hybrid identity, made with artists, thinkers and communities.
01
Creation
We make work with a signature of its own and take it from Castelo Branco to the rest of Portugal and abroad.
02
Engagement
We create with and for people: ongoing processes of co-creation that bring audiences closer to contemporary art forms, and in which everyone who takes part is also an author.
03
Programming
We programme the Singular Festival, residencies and visiting work that bring contemporary artists and experimental projects to Castelo Branco — and open them up to all audiences.
Mission
In its projects, Terceira Pessoa favours a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together professionals from a wide range of art forms.
Reaching audiences of different ages and from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, Terceira Pessoa works to bring its community closer to the cultural life of its own region and of other parts of the country, and to foster an exchange between local heritage and contemporary art forms.
History
Terceira Pessoa (Portuguese for ‘third person’) is an arts organisation based in Castelo Branco, founded in 2012 by Ana Gil and Nuno Leão and currently under the artistic direction of Óscar Silva. It brings together artists working in different art forms and people from other fields of knowledge, such as philosophy and science.
Its story began in 2012 with Kurt Cobain and continued in 2013 with the performance-manifesto Hey you; together they involved more than 70 people of all ages. These were followed by Inscrição and Mãos pensantes (2014) and, in 2015, by Primeira infância | um fabulário, in the Recém-Nascidos (‘Newborns’) series at Portugal’s national theatre, Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (TNDM II), and Filosofia da paisagem. In 2016 it presented The old image of being loved at Camden People’s Theatre and the Roundhouse in London, the first of four performances that push the performing arts to their limits: Senso comum (2018), Tekné (2021) and Os idiotas (2023), co-produced by TNDM II and presented in 2024 at the Centro Cultural de Belém. In 2018, in co-production with teatromosca and the Théâtre de la Tête Noire, it premiered Kif-kif and began Da minha aldeia vejo quanto da terra se pode ver no universo, which is still touring.
Cross-disciplinary work defines the organisation’s identity, notably in Uma linha é um ponto que passeia (2019); Rastro, Margem, Clarão (2020–21), drawn from the literary world of Rui Nunes, which gave rise to three performance pieces, three photography exhibitions and three books; and the exhibitions and installations QR Code, A possibilidade de uma ilha, In loco (2021–2024) and As peças que faltam (2025), a co-production with the Institut français du Portugal. Since 2020 it has produced the Singular Festival every year, a multidisciplinary programme that promotes the circulation of contemporary artists and establishes Castelo Branco as a place where art is made and shared.
In participatory and educational work, highlights include Há festa no campo (PARTIS and the EDP Foundation), Manifesta-te (Gulbenkian Knowledge Academies) and Estado ativo (Art for Democracy, for the 50th anniversary of the 25 April Revolution). At Guarda Prison, the key projects are Espíritos livres (2021–2022) and RadioATIVIDADE (PARTIS & Art for Change), with RTP – Antena 2, ESART (School of Applied Arts, Castelo Branco) and Instituto Piaget as partners.
Since its foundation, Terceira Pessoa has worked throughout Portugal and abroad (Brazil, Spain, Cape Verde, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden), collaborating with more than 300 artists and collectives. The organisation is also known for its close working relationships with partners and funders such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, Castelo Branco City Council, the Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, Instituto Piaget and the Directorate-General for the Arts.
Team
Óscar Silva
Artistic director
Ana Gil
Learning and participatory art coordinator
Joana Gomes
Head of production
Vanessa Martins
Executive production assistant
Rita Piteira
Head of communications and press
Cátia Santos
Graphic and communication designer
Inês Barreiros
Design assistant
Associate artists
Diogo Martins
Artistic research
Tiago Moura
Content production and documentary film
Nuno Leão
Artistic adviser
Funding
Terceira Pessoa is funded by the Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth and Sport, through the Directorate-General for the Arts, and supported by Castelo Branco City Council.
Partners
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