José Celso Martinez Corrêa

Origin

Araraquara, SP

Also known as

Zé Celso, Zé Celso Martinez Corrêa

Years active

1958–2023

Genres

theater, drama, tragicomedy, musical, tropicalia

Biography

José Celso Martinez Corrêa, widely known as Zé Celso, was a Brazilian director, actor, and playwright, and a central, revolutionary figure in national theater. Born in Araraquara, São Paulo, on March 30, 1937, Zé Celso founded the iconic Teatro Oficina in 1958 alongside colleagues from the USP Law School. His career is marked by a bold, irreverent, and anthropophagic theatrical language that broke with the conventions of the time and influenced generations of artists. He was one of the pioneers in connecting Brazilian performing arts to international avant-gardes, always maintaining a critical and provocative perspective on society.

His career gained national prominence in the 1960s, particularly with productions such as "O Rei da Vela" by Oswald de Andrade, which anticipated the Tropicalist movement, and "Pequenos Burgueses" by Maxim Gorky, whose staging, although suspended by the military dictatorship, earned him numerous awards. Zé Celso also directed plays by renowned authors such as Chico Buarque, with "Roda Viva", and William Shakespeare, in addition to working with major names in Brazilian acting, such as Fernanda Montenegro and Raul Cortez. His work frequently addressed social and political themes, reflecting the Brazilian context and the struggle for democracy.

Zé Celso also ventured into music, composing songs in partnership with artists like José Miguel Wisnik and Péricles Cavalcanti, and participating in the album "Revista Bixiga Oficina do Samba". He was a tireless defender of architectural heritage, especially the Teatro Oficina, designed by Lina Bo Bardi. His death on July 6, 2023, in São Paulo, left an invaluable legacy for the Brazilian arts, cementing him as one of the greatest masters of the national and international stage.