Reimagining Theatrical Spaces: Lina Bo Bardi’s Teatro Oficina as an Urban Stage and Site of Public Engagement

Drawing on the case study of Lina Bo Bardi's Teatro Oficina in São Paulo, it’s possible to investigate how the dissolution of traditional boundaries between audience and stage transforms the theatre into a civic space. The design of Teatro Oficina, initiated in 1961, embodies an architectural revolution that challenges conventional notions of theatrical venues. Its open, fluid structure aligns with Bo Bardi's vision of a "Theater of Freedom", where every space within a city can become a stage. The project breaks from the rigid framework of traditional theatre, embracing the street as part of the performance. In this context, the Teatro Oficina becomes not only a performance venue but also a site of urban and social engagement. This paper situates Teatro Oficina within broader discourses on theatrical architecture, referencing seminal works by Aldo Rossi and Le Corbusier. It argues that this theatre redefines the relationship between performers and spectators, promoting a shared experience within a transparent space that connects the external environment to the internal performance. The transparency, achieved through large glass facades, offers a dual view of both the staged action and the surrounding urban reality, thus turning the theatre into a liminal space where boundaries between fiction and everyday life blur. This study contributes to the understanding of theatre as a contested and transformative urban space, linking dramaturgy, architecture, and social protest in a manner that encourages ongoing interaction between the city and its inhabitants. In conclusion, the research highlights how spaces like Teatro Oficina serve as catalysts for reimagining theatrical and urban environments, questioning traditional hierarchies and promoting the idea of the theatre as an extension of public life.