A less well-known, yet extremely active, aspect of Rio's cultural repertoire is its theatre - There are a wide range of play venues, from impressive, palatial buildings, to small-scale production houses, providing a wonderful array of casts and styles.

unlike movies that are normally shown in English, most if not all theatrical productions in rio de janeiro are in portuguese, making them less accessible by the general foreign public, but one of the very top attractions to visitors from the rest of brazil.

in fact, many plays see famous tv actors starring in important roles, making these presentations quite popular among many visitors who would not otherwise get to see these stars in up-close - broadly speaking, ticket prices are about twice the cost of a movie ticket, with discounts always available for the elderly and for students with valid local school ids.