The children's festival My First FITEI is back

MY FIRST FITEI: the festival returns at the end of the month (28, 29 October and 1 and 2 November) with the premiere of the Winter Square

- My First FITEI is back to Porto and Matosinhos with 6 shows in 2 large venues

- Matosinhos Constantino Nery Municipal Theatre hosts the festival on 28 and 29 October and the Coliseu Porto Ageas on 1 and 2 November

- For the first time, the Coliseu is transformed into a Winter Square, hosting

shows and activities for children

After two successful editions, the children's theatre festival My First FITEI will be back to rock the city of Porto on 28th and 29th October and on 1st and 2nd November. On stage there will be touching stories designed for all ages and for different levels of experience in the relationship with theatrical objects.

In 2022, the festival embraces two emblematic theatres of the cities of Porto and Matosinhos: On the first two days of the festival, the Teatro Municipal de Matosinhos Constantino Nery receives "Carmim", from the Vila do Conde company Coração nas Mãos, a circus play that portrays the stories, the games, the songs and the dances that are part of growing up, that constitute and mould personality. Joana Carmo Martins' play will be on stage both days, with a special capacity for schools on 28 October.

The Coliseu Porto Ageas, which is hosting the festival again this year, is transformed - in the 2022 edition, a Winter Square takes over the Main Hall. My First FITEI recreates, for the first time, a street fair scenario where shows, illustrators, books, old toys, workshops and other activities for the little ones coexist in a single space.

Thus, during November 1 and 2, the Winter Square hosts three plays: "Sorriso", a moving show about love and the power of memories by director Sérgio Fernandes of Teatro Só; "Teatro Tradicional Dom Roberto" by the Teatro e Marionetas de Mandrágora company, which travels the country with the unique stories of the puppets known as robertos; and, finally, the puppet play "O Vaqueiro Que Não Mentia", based on the popular Portuguese story and in a travelling format carried out by Teatro TukTuk, by Marcelo Lafontana.

Still at the Coliseu, but in different rooms, will be on stage "As Árvores Não Têm Pernas para Andar" by pianist Joana Gama, who tells stories about the wonderful world of trees with the help of a small great instrument: the toy piano; and the world premiere of "Os Cachos do Meu Cabelo" by Paulo Duarte (Teatro do Montemuro), a play that seeks to address the issue of ethnic and musical culturality and the identity of each through the story of a child, Amara.

Gonçalo Amorim, FITEI's artistic director, adds about the programme of this third edition and the debut of the Winter Square: "In this edition, we looked at the possibilities that the Coliseu's audience has when it is transformed into an arena, so we imagined that in the cold month of November, it could be a Winter Square, where the audience can enjoy shows, but also artists and collectors who exhibit their work. My First FITEI has always intended from the outset to be a space for everyone, and the possibility of entering the universe of theatre, through proposals for the whole family".

Access to the shows of O Meu Primeiro FITEI may be limited on the days dedicated to schools (28 October - Teatro Municipal de Matosinhos and 2 November - Coliseu). At Teatro Municipal de Matosinhos Constantino Nery, the access to each play is 7.5€ (adults) with the respective box office discounts for children and seniors. At the Coliseu do Porto, a daily pass to all shows can be purchased for €5.

All information about the festival can be found at www.fitei.com.