Known originally as the Theatre Royal, the early building — designed by Italian architect Vicente Mazzoneschi (at the time theatrical designer of the Teatro S. Carlos, in Lisbon) — was inaugurated in May of 1798 and partially destroyed by fire during the night of 11-12th April 1908. Its interior structure was similar to that of the Teatro S. Carlos and its construction like the theatres of Italian type that had been established as the successful paradigm until the birth of the "French theatre", equally derivative from this model. After the fire, beginning 1912, Theatre S. João was reconstructed by Portuense architect Jose Marques da Silva (1869 - 1947) much influenced by a visit to Paris in 1908, during which he observed the rebuilding of the facade of the Theatre d'Amiens (built 1778-80), under the hand of architect Jacques Rousseau. The New Teatro S. João was inaugurated on 7 of March 1920. During this first decade, its programming was of course dedicated to the theater and the opera. But, significantly in the 1930s, the house entered a long period of decay, being reduced, then, as São João Cinema, to the role of a movie palace, under a Lusomundo Films franchise. The property was acquired by the State on 8th October 1992 and inaugurated, as Teatro Nacional São João (TNSJ - the National Theatre), a little over a month later, 28th November, under the direction of Eduardo Paz Barroso. That marked the beginning of the "rehabilitation" project, undertaken by the architect João Carreira. The works, the responsibility of the Portuguese Institute of Architectural and Archeological Heritage (IPPAR), with the support of the FEDER program, were initiated on the 2nd of January, 1995. During eight months and more, the TNSJ was the object of a complex process of reconstruction, conservation, extension and restoration of its interior, until it became fully furnished with all appropriate infrastructure, machinery and equipment. The reopening took place on the 16th September of the same year. Taking on the role of director/encenador, Ricardo Pais succeeded Eduardo Paz Barroso in January of 1996. Between September of 2000 and September of 2002, the position was occupied by the actor and encenador Jose Wallenstein. In October of 2002, Ricardo Pais came back to assume the direction of the Theater. At this date the TNSJ integrated into its structure the Auditório Carlos Alberto, which then became known as Theatro Carlos Alberto (TeCA).
The TNSJ mounts four or five large scale productions annually and co-produces and hosts tens of others. Not having a company or nucleus of resident creators, TNSJ contracts creative teams - composed of Portuguese and foreign artists - and actors according to the needs of each project. However, it profits from the regularity and the systematic interaction of these colaborations. TNSJ invests in generation and realisation of contemporary "scenic languages", capable of reinterpreting for today's public the great texts of our dramatic heritage, both classical and contemporary. The theatre pays very particular attention to the stimulaton of new Portuguese dramatical writing, through theoretical and practical work developed by Dramat - Centro de Dramaturgias Contemporaneas do Porto. The International Festival PoNTI is organised every two years - Porto Christmas Theater International - and which has already staged the creations of Peter Stein, Robert Wilson, Eimuntas Nekrosius, Giorgio Barberio Corsetti, Romeo Castellucci, Jérôme Deschamps, among those of many other Portuguese and foreign writers.
