Rio de Janeiro: Where energy takes the stage

Three theaters in Rio de Janeiro help illustrate how major oil and gas companies maintain an active presence in the city’s cultural scene. TotalEnergies, PRIO and Petrobras—companies widely recognized for their role in Brazil’s oil exploration sector—have associated their names with performance venues located in strategic areas, linking the energy industry to cultural institutions that serve different audiences and generations. This is the focus of this edition of the Meet Rio section.

All of them are easily accessible by public transportation or car and are situated in areas with well-established urban infrastructure. The most recent of them is Teatro TotalEnergies, inaugurated in January 2026 in downtown Rio. Housed in the historic Manchete Building, the venue occupies the former Teatro Adolpho Bloch, designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1973. The rebranding is the result of a partnership between TotalEnergies and the production company Aventura.

With seating for 359 spectators and a 140-square-meter stage, the theater offers a full range of technical facilities and stands out for its reversible stage, which allows performances in both a traditional layout and an open-air configuration integrated with an external area.

Teatro I Love PRIO

Located in Rio’s South Zone, within the Gávea Jockey Club, Teatro I Love PRIO occupies the site of the former Teatro do Jockey (1920–2015) and, more recently, Teatro XP (2017–2023).

Despite PRIO’s sponsorship since October 2023, the venue remains under the artistic direction of Luiz Guilherme Niemeyer—Oscar Niemeyer’s grandnephew—and is managed by João Guilherme Magalhães, a producer responsible for some of the largest international touring productions ever staged in Brazil.

Considered one of the city’s most modern theaters, the venue seats 352 people and is known for its acoustic quality and audience comfort. The stage measures 60 square meters, and the facilities include a lounge, an outdoor area with views of Corcovado, and a car parking  with more than 400 spaces.

Teatro Rival Petrobras

Located on Álvaro Alvim Street in the Cinelândia district, Teatro Rival opened in 1934, during a period of intense cultural activity in downtown Rio. Over nearly a century, the venue has weathered different artistic, political, and economic phases without ever interrupting its operations, establishing itself as one of the city’s most emblematic stages.

The theater held Petrobras naming rights from 2001 to 2019, after which sponsorship was taken over by the Refit refinery. In 2024, upon celebrating its 90th anniversary, the venue was officially renamed Teatro Rival Petrobras, reaffirming its partnership with the state-owned company and reinforcing its status as one of Rio’s most traditional cultural spaces.

Today, Teatro Rival Petrobras accommodates approximately 350 people and, in addition to its performance schedule, offers services such as Wi-Fi and venue rental for private events, including parties and gastronomic gatherings like its well-known Sundays feijoadas. The theater is currently run by actress Ângela Leal, daughter of its founder, Américo Leal.

Together, the three theaters demonstrate how companies from the oil and gas sector have played a role—at different scales and over time—in the preservation, modernization, and operation of Rio de Janeiro’s cultural venues, weaving corporate interests into the city’s cultural life.