Ana Borralho & João Galante
They met while studying Visual Arts at AR.CO. As actors / co-creators they worked regularly with the theatre group OLHO. They have been working together since 2001, including the plays Mistermissmissmister (2002), sexyMF (2007), World of Interiors (2010) and Atlas (2011).
Together with Mónica Samões, they developed the project No Jogo do Desejo or O Choque Frontal (Workshop / atelier for young audiences – 2008), the video-documentary Eu Não Tu (2009) and the children’s show A Linha or O Deserto já não é uma casa vazia (2009).
Since 2004, his work has been presented at national and international festivals in France, Spain, Switzerland, Scotland, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland and Slovenia.
They are founding members of the non-musical band Jimmie Durham and the casaBranca Association . They are responsible for the Artistic Direction of the Blue Summmer Performing Arts Festival in Lagos, Portugal.
Mónica Samões
She studied Modern Languages and Literature and studied acting at T.E.U.C.
Over the years she has attended various artistic training workshops in the areas of theatre, dance and voice and has trained in pedagogy and education through art.
She was part of the OLHO Theatre Group, where she worked for 8 years as a performer and co-creator under the direction of João Garcia Miguel, also taking on the production direction of Festival X and Organisations X.
She has also worked with Edgar Pêra, João Fiadeiro, Alberto Lopes, Ana Borralho & João Galante and Lúcia Sigalho.
Has been developing pedagogical work in the area of artistic expression since 2002, having carried out various projects for children and young people, exploring different lexicons and media.
She is a founding member and board member of casaBranca Association.
Responsible for the artistic direction of the project GYMNASIUM – Thought Transformed the Infinite into a Serpent, as well as for ENCONTROS GYMNASIUM – Arts Showcase for Young Audiences.
Marise Francisco
Marise is interested in production, programming, creation, and cultural mediation. She believes in collaborative processes and is driven by the intention to create contexts for sharing, experimentation, and listening, where artists and audiences meet and engage with the territory. She enjoys traveling and encountering the Other, understanding travel as a transformative process, much like in her life and professional practice.
She holds a degree in Cultural Communication and a postgraduate qualification in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and has been complementing her path with ongoing training in the field of artistic thinking and creation.
With a solid background in the cultural sector, she has held roles in programming, production, communication, and training across a variety of public and private contexts.
She collaborated on Festival Todos – Walk of Cultures 2025 as a programmer and producer; served as Project Manager at Toyno – a design studio, leading projects for MAAT; was part of the Government Project Group for World Youth Day 2023 as Production Manager; and took on the role of Executive Director of the Portugal–France Season 2022. For over a decade, she worked as an advisor for cultural events and initiatives in public spaces within a political office of the Lisbon City Council executive, and for seven years she worked in the Educational Service of the CCB Exhibition Centre, where she coordinated the Educational Service in her final year, as well as coordinating the Educational Service of the Berardo Collection Museum during its first year.
She also develops the personal project Not So Wiki Life, focused on performance and storytelling.
Salomé Ventura
Salomé holds a degree in Product Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon. She began her career at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, where she joined the exhibitions team of the Museum and the Próximo Futuro Contemporary Culture Programme, contributing to exhibitions such as Pieter Hugo: This Must Be The Place, Artistas Comprometidos? Talvez, and Meeting Point 1. Rembrandt / Paula Rego + Meeting Point 2. Fantin-Latour / Manuel Botelho. From 2015 onwards, she developed an independent practice as a cultural producer and graphic designer.
Between 2022 and 2025, she worked at CAM – Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre during its reopening, contributing to the production of exhibitions including Leonor Antunes. da desigualdade constante dos dias de leonor, Julianknxx. Chorus in Rememory of a Flight, and Between Your Teeth. Paula Rego and Adriana Varejão, among many others.
In 2025, she collaborated with Lisbon Art Weekend on the management and production of its 7th edition, and she is currently Executive Producer at casaBranca. She is interested in collaborative processes, cross-disciplinary practices, and more sustainable and accessible modes of cultural production that explore the relationship between contemporary creation, institutions, and audiences.
Teresa Serra Nunes
She holds a degree in Political Science from the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences and a postgraduate qualification in Migration Studies. Due to her involvement in the cultural sector, she eventually shifted her focus to production. She completed the professional course in Event and Performance Production at World Academy and is currently an administrative assistant at the cultural associations Alkantara and casaBranca.
In administrative roles, she has also collaborated with Associação Real Pelágio and Teatro do Vestido, where she supported the management of EEA Grants funding for the project Particular Universal. As a production assistant, she was part of the Teatro Meridional team between 2021 and 2025, and now continues to collaborate with the company as a designer.
In parallel, she has been working since 2020 as a manager and agent for music artists, as well as a graphic designer.
José Pelicano
He studied architecture and participated in organizing CEAT’s Architecture Seminars, and worked as an assistant at Macroplan Architecture. He coordinated and co-edited the annual publication Arquitecturas na Raia. He has designed scenography and props for theatre and dance productions, collaborating with several artists and artistic organizations.
Since 2009, he has been a member of casaBranca, working in graphic design and communication (including websites and the visual identity of the Verão Azul Festival), as well as in the development of educational projects. In collaboration with Mónica Samões, he co-created several artistic research and mediation projects with children, including Clube Redondo, A Chair Up the Mountain, Rádio.Lab VAIVEM, and Playtime.
Clara Sampaio
She is an artist, curator, and researcher with a PhD in Contemporary Art (University of Coimbra, 2022), an MA in Arts (Federal University of Espírito Santo, 2016), and a BA in Architecture (2011). Her work explores translation, language, and the intersections between artistic and curatorial practices within collaborative and institutional contexts.
She has curated several projects and exhibitions in Brazil, including CÁPSULA, Tirante, and Estudos de Recepção, among others. She works in the management and production of international projects connecting contemporary art with culture and education, and is co-curator of the Verão Azul Festival for the 2026–2027 biennium.