Armazém da Utopia opens Crias da Comunidade

Armazém da Utopia launches Crias da Comunidade with 24 free artistic and technical training spots for youth from Rio communities.

Armazém da Utopia has opened applications for the Crias da Comunidade program, which will offer free artistic and technical training from February 2026 to young people and adults from Rio de Janeiro’s communities.

With master sponsorship from Shell through the Rouanet Law of the Ministry of Culture, the Crias da Comunidade project is aimed at participants aged 16 and over, mainly from social classes C, D and E. The program prioritizes public high school and university students who live in traditional communities around Armazém da Utopia and in Rio de Janeiro’s 1st administrative region.

Known as a hub for technical and artistic training, Armazém da Utopia designed Crias da Comunidade as a continuous training program committed to all stages of artistic production. The initiative seeks to help repair a long-standing social and historical imbalance that affects community territories across Rio.

The project recalls the origin of the word “community”, from the Latin “communitãte”, which refers to what is common and shared. It invites a key question: is working in culture a common path for people who live in favelas and communities, or still a privilege for a few?

“Crias da Comunidade at Armazém da Utopia aims to reduce the social gap in the cultural economy by opening up production processes in all their stages – from conception, development and fundraising to planning, production, execution, promotion and post-production, as an open school. The hands-on experience of a full production process generates exponential learning,” say directors Luiz Fernando Lobo and Tuca Moraes, who run Armazém da Utopia.

In total, the Crias da Comunidade project will offer 24 spots. Applications are open until 6 p.m. on January 5, 2026, via the online form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiOA8vQceh696QMPtbc1qYUnzFnUDbCt7bIxnfHJAE5XNi-Q/viewform

The selection process will include a motivation letter and an interview with shortlisted candidates. Classes begin on February 2, 2026, and will run for nine months, with a weekly workload of six hours.

Face-to-face meetings for Crias da Comunidade will take place on Mondays and Thursdays, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., in Rio’s Port Zone at Armazém da Utopia, with the possibility of extra activities.

Throughout the course, selected participants will receive meals, a basic food basket and transport support, helping to ensure they can attend and fully engage with the training.

The program will close with a public event presenting the collective results developed by the students during the training process.

Crias da Comunidade program tracks

The Crias da Comunidade project is structured around two main training tracks that connect artistic practice and technical skills.

Galharufa Core (Artistic Training): practical workshops in acting, body and voice, plus theoretical classes on theater, history and geography.

Gimba Core (Technical Training): technical workshops focused on lighting, sound and production, introducing participants to the backstage of artistic creation.

Service

Program: Crias da Comunidade

Applications: online form until 01/12/2026, 6 p.m.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiOA8vQceh696QMPtbc1qYUnzFnUDbCt7bIxnfHJAE5XNi-Q/viewform

Interviews with shortlisted candidates: January 19–23, 2026

Final results: January 26, 2026

Classes start: February 2, 2026

Class schedule: Mondays and Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Armazém da Utopia – Warehouse 6, Port Zone of Rio de Janeiro

Crias da Comunidade receives master sponsorship from Shell through the Rouanet Law, the Federal Cultural Incentive Law of the Ministry of Culture.