Since he started as an actor, Tiago Rodrigues (Lisbon, 1977) has always looked at theatre as a place where people meet, like a cafe, a place to share their thoughts and time together. Whether it is mixing true stories and fiction, rewriting classics or adapting novels, Tiago Rodrigues’ theatre is deeply rooted in the idea of writing for and with the actors, seeking a poetic transformation of reality through theatrical means. As director of the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon since 2015, Tiago Rodrigues has become a builder of bridges between cities and countries, both a host and advocate of a living theatre. This desire is especially apparent in projects like Occupation Bastille, an artistic occupation of Théâtre de la Bastille in Paris by nearly a hundred artists and spectators in 2016. From September 2022, Rodrigues has been the artistic director of Festival d’Avignon. In recent years, Rodrigues’ poetic Antony and Cleopatra (Holland Festival 2019) Sopro (2020, Brandhaarden/ITA) and The Cherry Orchard (Holland Festival 2022) were staged in the Netherlands.