Cia do Quintal

Cesar Gouvea founded Cia do Quintal in 2002 following training at the Escola de Artes Dramaticas (EAD/ECA-USP) and clown work at Galpao do Circo under Marcio Ballas. He had also studied improvisation with Ricardo Behrens, Mariana Muniz, and Shawn Kinley. The founding show, "Jogando no Quintal" (Playing in the Backyard), was initially performed in the backyard of Gouvea's house in Sao Paulo, combining theatrical improvisation with the aesthetics and physicality of clown. The show pioneered a hybrid form that Gouvea describes as opening an entirely new market within Brazilian theatre.

"Jogando no Quintal" has remained in continuous performance since 2002, seen by more than 300,000 people over two decades. Marco Goncalves joined the company and performed in the show for 10 years as the athlete-clown character Fonseca. Together they co-developed "Caleidoscopio: Improvisacao Teatral (Harold)," a show structured around the Harold long-form format, and the QFC (Quintal Fighting Championship), an improvisation battle format.

In 2008, Gouvea won the World Championship of Improvisation Match in Colombia. He subsequently taught in the International Diploma in Improvisation with an emphasis on Clown at Universidad El Bosque in Bogota. The company has collaborated with Colombian improviser Gustavo Miranda, celebrating 10 years of partnership in a 2017 show titled "Passageiro."

Cia do Quintal's practice fuses theatrical improvisation with clown language and aesthetics, placing clown physicality and character within long-form improvised narrative structures. The company's blending of these two traditions influenced subsequent generations of Brazilian improvisers. Performances are created entirely without scripts from audience input, with clown as the primary performance register.

Cia do Quintal is credited as one of the pioneer institutions of theatrical improvisation in Brazil. "Jogando no Quintal," in continuous performance since 2002, became one of the longest-running improv shows in Brazil. Gouvea's 2008 World Championship title brought international recognition to Brazilian improv practice. The company's model connecting clown and long-form improvisation became an influential approach in the Brazilian scene.