João Caetano

Caetano began his acting career as an amateur; his professional debut was on 24 April 1831,in the play O Carpinteiro da Livônia, later staged as Pedro, o Grande.

Two years later, in 1833, João Caetano was already performing at the Niterói theater with a cast of Brazilian actors.^[4] Thus began the Companhia Nacional João Caetano. On March 13, 1838, he played the lead role in the tragedy António José, ou o Poeta e a Inquisição, by Gonçalves de Magalhães, considered the first original play in Brazilian theater.^[5][6] That same year, he staged the first Brazilian comedy, O Juiz de Paz na Roça, by Martins Pena.

Caetano also worked as impresário and rehearsal director. A self-taught performer, he favored tragedies, but also played comical roles.

In addition to acting in many plays, both in Rio and in the provinces, João Caetano published two books on the art of acting: Reflexões Dramáticas, from 1837, and Lições Dramáticas, from 1862.^[7][4]

n 1843, João Caetano became the main shareholder of the Teatro São Pedro de Alcântara in Rio de Janeiro, later named Teatro João Caetano.^[8]

In 1860, after a visit to France's Royal Conservatory, João Caetano organized in Rio a school of dramatic arts,where the tuition was free. Furthermore,he promoted the creation of a drama jury to award prizes to national productions.^[9]

• Décio de Almeida Prado, João Caetano e a arte do ator - Estudos críticos. São Paulo: Ática, 1984.
• José Roberto O'shea, Early Shakespearean Stars Performing in Brazilian Skies: João Caetano and National Theater. In: KLIMAN, Bernice W; SANTOS, Rick J. (org.). Latin American Shakespeares. Madison; Teaneck, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2005, pp. 25-36.
• Eugênio Gomes, Shakespeare no Brasil. Ministério da Educação e Cultura/ Departamento de Imprensa Nacional, 1961.

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