The GRIOTS
Daniel Martinho
Daniel Martinho was born in Luanda, Angola, in 1962. He has a degree from the Institute of Training, Research and Theatrical Creation (IFICT) and a degree from the Higher School of Theatre and Cinema.
He is a founding member and resident actor at Teatro GRIOT, having been part of shows directed by Zia Soares, Rogério de Carvalho, Bruno Bravo, António Pires, Paula Diogo and Miguel Loureiro.
He has worked with directors such as Adolfo Gutkin, Rogério de Carvalho, Luís Miguel Cintra, Carlos Avilez, José Peixoto, Celso Cleto, Miguel Seabra, António Simão, Natália Luiza and Carla Bolito. He works regularly with the Meridional Theatre and the Aloés Theatre.
In cinema, he has participated in films by several directors such as Luís Filipe Rocha, Alain Tanner, Samuel Fuller, Jorge Silva Melo, Jorge António and Pocas Pascoal. He also participated in the documentaries “O Lugar que Ocupas”, directed by Pedro Filipe Marques and “TEMPESTADES, Ensaio de um Ensaio” by Uli Decker. On television, he has participated in several soap operas and series, such as “Olhos de Água”, “Equador”, “O Regresso a Sizalinda”, “A Outra” and “A Única Mulher”. "A Fazenda".
Gio Lourenço is an actor/performer. Born in Luanda, Angola, in 1987, he grew up in Portugal. He graduated in “Theater and Animation” from CERCICA (Cascais) and studied Dance at cem – centro em movimento, with a scholarship from the National Center of Culture. He has been a founding member and resident actor of Teatro GRIOT since 2009. In theater, as an actor, he has worked with Zia Soares, Rogério de Carvalho, Nuno M. Cardoso, Guilherme Mendonça, Bruno Bravo, António Pires, João Fiadeiro, Hélder Costa, Paula Diogo, José Carretas, Amélia Videira, Ana Paula Reis and Genoveva Faísca. In dance/performance, he highlights his collaborations with Filipa Francisco, Sofia Neuparth, Vânia Doutel Vaz and Calixto Neto. As a creator, he developed “PRETA”, presented at the 17th Venice Biennale (2021), as part of Afaina de Jong’s “Space of Others” project. He collaborated with Sofia Berberan on “Memória Botânica”, for the Exploratorium catalogue, also as part of the 17th Venice Biennale. In 2022, he participated, as a performer-choreographer, in the project “Charging Change” by Michelle Eistrup (visual artist), presented at Documenta15 (Kassel, Germany).
Recently, he created and performed the show “Boca Fala Tropa”, in 2022, premiered at O
Espaço do Tempo was presented at the Alkantara Festival, and was highlighted as one of the best dance shows of that year by the newspaper Expresso. It was also selected for PT.23 (Portuguese Platform For Performing Artist).
Matamba Joaquim
Matamba Joaquim was born in Luanda, Angola, in 1982. He graduated in theater at the National Institute of Artistic Training (Luanda, Angola).
He is a founding member and resident actor of the GRIOT Theatre, having been directed by Rogério de Carvalho, Nuno M Cardoso, Guilherme Mendonça, António Pires, João Fiadeiro, Paula Diogo and Zia Soares. Still in theatre, he collaborated with Mala Voadora in the show “Mozambique” by Jorge Andrade, “Romeo and Juliet" by Colectivo 84, directed by John Romão, “Fedra não é de pedra” by Nova Companhia, directed by Martim Pedroso.
As an actor in cinema, he was part of the cast of the feature films “El Cautivo” by Alejandro Amenábar, “Capitão Falcão” by Pedro Leitão, “Stefan Zweig – Goodbye Europe” by Maria Schrader, “Comboio de Sal e de Açúcar” by Licínio de Azevedo, “Um Animal Amarelo” by Felipe Bragança, “Os Vivos, o Morto e o Peixe Frito” by Daniela Ruah, “Vermelho Monet” by Halder Gomes, “Pátria” by Bruno Gascon, “Um Filme em Forma de Assim” by João Botelho; “Banzo” by Margarida Cardoso, “Os papeis do Inglês” by Sérgio Graciano; and the short films “Chess” by Mário Melo Costa, “Libélula” by Ana Carvalho, “Noite em claro” by Felipe Bragança, “Fado Menor” by Alejandro Gutiérrez; and in the documentary “O lugar que ocupas”, by Pedro Filipe Marques.
He is a permanent member of the Portuguese Cinema Academy and a member of the Pôle Cinéma Audiovisuel Des Pays De La Loire-La Plateforme.
He was awarded the GDA Foundation's New Talent in Cinema award 2018 for his performance in the film “Comboio de Sal e Açúcar”, Mozambican candidate for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, by Licínio Azevedo.
He was nominated for the Sophia Awards 2024 for best supporting actor in “Pátria” by Bruno Gascon, pre-selected for the Platino Awards 2024, nominated for the FantasticTv Award for best supporting actor in “Um Animal Amarelo”, nominated for the Cineuphoria Award for best actor in a telefilm in “O morto, os vivos e o peixe frito", nominated for the Cineuphoria Award for best film actor in “O comboio de sal e açúcar", nominated for the Cineuphoria Award for best supporting actor in 'Pátria".
On television he was part of “O Clube”, “Os Papeis do Inglês”, “Amor Maior” SIC, “Valor da Vida” TVI, “Bad and Breakfast” RTP PLAY, “O Voo Direto”, “Diálogos depois do fim” RTP, “Codex 632” RTP1/ Globoplay, “Regresso a Ítaca” RTP2, “Pátria” RTP1.
He is the screenwriter for the series “Café Kwanza” (Rtp-África/ Rtpplay), “Contos de Natal” (Rtp-África/ Rtpplay).
He is the author of the book “O Sul sem ti” and co-author with Bernardete Pinheiro of the book “Dois Corvos Amarelos”, published by Obnosis Editora.
Miguel Sermão
Miguel Sermão was born in Luanda, Angola, in 1974. He is an actor, storyteller, trainer in the area of dramatic expression for children and youth, director, dialogue coach, and director of actors for television. He attended courses in Theater and Social Animation at the Comuna Theater Research Training School, Photography and History of Art at Ar.Co, Communication Sciences at the Independent University, Translation and Creative Writing at the Lusófona University.
He is a founding member and resident actor at Teatro GRIOT.
In the theater he worked with directors such as João Mota, Rogério de Carvalho, Álvaro Correia, Alfredo Brissos, Hugo Franco, João Garcia Miguel, Miguel Seabra, Luca Aprea, Bibi Perestrelo, Adelino Caracol, Zia Soares, Ferrucio Soleri, Paulo Patraquim, Avelino Neto (Dikota) among others.
In cinema and television he has worked with several directors, including Pedro Costa, Edgar Pêra, Luís Galvão Teles, Fabrizio Costa, Jorge Silva Melo, Pedro Sena Nunes, Markus Helschl, Felipe Bragança, Álvaro Fugulin, Nicolau Breyner, Sérgio Graciano, Jorge Quiroga, Hugo Xavier, Manuel Pureza and Francisco Antunes.
As a storyteller, he shared spaces with Ângelo Torres, Ana Sofia Paiva, Cristina Taquelim, António Fontinhas, among others.
Zia Soares is a director and actress, daughter of an Angolan mother and an East Timorese father, born in Bié, Angola, in 1972. Her work spans between Africa and Europe.
She has been artistic director, director and actress at Teatro GRIOT since the company was founded. At the invitation of His Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic, Dr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in 2022, Zia Soares joined the “Women of Courage” program. That same year, she was distinguished by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs Europe/Africa in the area of Acting. In 2021 and 2022, Bantumen Powerlist distinguished Zia Soares as one of the 100 most influential black personalities in the Portuguese-speaking world.
Zia Soares studied Philosophy at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon and a Master's in Performing Arts at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She studied ballet and percussion with the National Ballet Company of Guinea-Bissau and theater with Teatro Praga, having been one of the founders of the company where she developed projects as a director, stage director and actress, created and directed the first performances produced and performed exclusively by black women in Portugal, “Gestuário I”, produced by INMUNE (Instituto da Mulher Negra em Portugal) and “Gestuário II”, co-produced by INMUNE/ BoCA Biennial of Contemporary Arts. Her most recent productions include O riso dos necrófagos, by her authorship, co-produced by Teatro GRIOT, Culturgest, distinguished as Best Show 2021/2022 within the scope of the Premio Internazionale Teresa Pamodoro (Milan, Italy); FANUN RUIN, by his authorship, co-production Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Sowing_arts; Pérola sem rapariga, directed and staged by Zia Soares, text by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, co-production Sowing_arts, Teatro Nacional D. Maria, apap FEMINIST FUTURES.
Zia Soares is the first black woman to be artistic director of a theatre company in Portugal. In cinema, she has worked with João Botelho, Avelina Prat, José Barahona, António Castelo, Pocas Pascoal and Pedro Filipe Marques.
She teaches Performing Arts workshops in PALOP and with black communities in the Lisbon metropolitan area, and participates as a speaker and guest lecturer at various events promoted by entities in the artistic and academic world.