santos in loco
school where I studied something I hated.” At 19, his father opened a brush factory inside Lisbon prison. For some time, Raúl worked with prisoners, an experience he remembers fondly. But he never strayed from the theatre. “My father used to go with me and he liked it a lot and finally gave in when I was 21. He cried, said it was an unstable life, but if that was what I really wanted....” Despite appearing in only two plays at the Guilherme Cossoul, he has always maintained his links to the society, where he still gives theatre classes to this day. For many years, Raúl led the busy life of an actor, performing various weekly shows at the review theatre, mostly as the lead, and then on TV. And he has many a tale to tell from his long and eventful career, some about the Guilherme Cossoul and the area where he grew up. He still feels that it was there that everything truly began. “Sometimes,” he says, “when I’m tired, or when there’s not too much traffic, I like to go for a drive around the city, and I always end up there. It’s strange, but natural; that was a very important time for me.” •
Deve o nome a Guilherme Cossoul, compositor e violoncelista do século XIX, fundador dos bombeiros voluntários em Portugal. Um grupo de 47 admiradores deste músico criou a sociedade em 1885. Acolher a música era o seu propósito, mas o teatro acabou por ser o seu forte. Desde sempre se fomentaram naquele lugar as várias artérias da cultura e da instrução. Foi local de leitura, de aulas, de desporto, de convívio, de espectáculos de música e teatro. Actualmente, o grupo altaCena prossegue a tradição de palco, e no departamento literário existem os filo-cafés de sempre e as edições Tema e Fluviais, dois veículos de revelação de romances, poesia, ensaios e dramaturgia. A Sociedade Guilherme Cossoul é um núcleo cultural e de entretenimento, um sítio que continua a misturar novos talentos e grandes personalidades da nossa História, como Raúl Solnado, o sócio número um.
Created in 1885, the society owes its name to Guilherme Cossoul, the 19th century composer and cellist and founder of Portugal’s volunteer fire service. It was originally oriented towards music, but the theatre soon became its strongpoint. A place of reading, learning, sport, socialising, and musical and theatrical events, it has always encouraged culture and learning of all types. Currently, the altaCena group is keeping up the stage tradition, while in the literary department the ‘filo-cafés’ continue and the ‘Tema e Fluviais’ publications, two vehicles created for the dissemination of novels, poetry, essays and playwriting. The Sociedade Guilherme Cossoul is a centre of culture and entertainment, a place which continues to mix new talent with major figures from Portuguese history, such as Raúl Solnado, the club’s number one member.
santos con vida · 11