The “Hoje Tem Teatro” project turns the Agricultural Evolution Memorial in Horizontina into a cultural hub for Northern Rio Grande do Sul.
The MEA – Agricultural Evolution Memorial resumes its Hoje Tem Teatro project in 2026, reinforcing cultural decentralization across the northwestern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Offering free performances inside the museum, the initiative expands community access to performing arts in an area with very few established theaters.
Currently, the region has only about three professional theaters — one in Santo Ângelo and two operated by Sesc in Santa Rosa and Ijuí. This shortage makes alternative venues, festivals, and touring projects essential for sustaining theatrical activity beyond major cities.
Between 2024 and 2025, MEA hosted ten productions from different parts of Brazil. The official debut of Hoje Tem Teatro in 2025 brought together seven companies, solidifying the museum as a new cultural exchange hub in the state. In 2026, six performances are planned, featuring groups from Canoas, Santa Maria, Caxias do Sul, and Porto Alegre.
“Bringing professional theater to the northwest region is a concrete way to decentralize cultural access,” says Natália de Souza Machado, MEA’s executive producer.
Veteran producer Sérgio André Alves da Silva, from the Pregando Peça Group based in Santa Maria, praised the experience of performing at MEA in 2025. “We felt honored by the invitation to perform at the Memorial. Our group has always sought to bring theater to nontraditional spaces and to people with limited access to art,” he explains.
Photo: Takaki Fotos/MEA Release
