he São João Theatre - its original name - is supposed to have been built by the civil engineer Francisco Terésio Porto Neto, trained in Rio de Janeiro. Its architecture is transitional in style, basically luso-brazilian but with neoclassical elements. The pediment is triangular with stucco ornament, typical of the latter, while the façade faces onto a square. However, the position, in combination with adjoining buildings, is traditional.
The interior is simple, with just two tiers of boxes; the wooden structure rests in the outside stone walls. The interior furnishing is composed of a few long benches in the stalls, destined for the less well-off. The well-to-do would occupy the boxes, but would have their own chairs, brought from home by slaves. This habit was widespread in Brazil's older or more modest theatres.