Gonçalo Waddington stars in Strindberg’s ‘O Pai’ at São Luiz

Gonçalo Waddington will direct and star in August Strindberg’s play ‘O Pai’ (The Father) at the São Luiz theater in Lisbon. The production explores a deep, repressed power struggle between a man and a woman, masked by a dispute over their daughter Berta’s future.

Set against the backdrop of late 19th-century social structures, the play depicts a Captain attempting to assert authority over his family, only to have his mental stability challenged when his wife, Laura, questions the paternity of their child. Waddington describes the conflict as a hidden eruption of power dynamics between individuals in unequal social positions.