Several factors were behind the idea of holding a Classical Theatre Festival. To begin with, the acknowledgement that classical culture has generated intrinsic values of great relevance that are at the basis of the living and feeling of modern man. But also [...] the notion that theatre had an important role in transmitting greek- roman ideals, themes and myths which are part of today’s culture and continue being used by contemporary authors to express longings, concerns, experiences. [José Ribeiro Ferreira]
The first edition of the International Classical Theatre Festival goes back to 1999 and turned into a cultural association in 2002. Promoting theatre and performing arts is the main goal of this ambitious project that, over the years, has set itself as a meeting of artistic creation starring the greek-roman theatrical legacy and its rewriting in the contemporary world. Within the activities of knowledge transfer of the Centre of Classical and Humanistic Studies of the University of Coimbra, FESTEA is an indispensable cultural event of the city of Coimbra’s cultural agenda, in conjunction with the other cultural facilities of the city and of the region, with the firm purpose of fostering new audiences and, more, new ways of looking at classical theatre. In this sense, FESTEA is distinguished by the transversality of its proposals and by the social commitment that marks its intervention in the (physical and symbolic) public space, having as its mission the promotion of the arts, citizenship and quality of life.