Mónica Garnel

Mónica Garnel is a Portuguese actress and stage director, born in Lisbon in 1974.

Her work as a director has focused on contemporary approaches to both classical and original texts, with productions including Declaração by Miguel Castro Caldas, Swimming Pool Party by Ricardo Neves Neves, Antigone by Sophocles, and, more recently, The Misanthrope by Hugo Van der Ding and Martim Sousa Tavares.

In 2023, she directed Mozart's Die Zauberflöte for Operafest, followed in 2024 by Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, presented in the Marquês de Pombal Gardens as part of the Operafest programme.

In 2014, she was nominated by Time Out magazine for Best Actor of the Year for A Acompanhante, and in 2019 she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her performance in A Vida Vai Engolir-vos.

Since 1999, she has collaborated regularly with Mónica Calle, taking part in the majority of Casa Conveniente's productions. Together, they also led a theatre group at Vale de Judeus Prison, an experience that had a profound impact on her artistic career.