He was born into a Goan Catholic family as the fourth son of day laborers Paulo Morais and Conceiçaō Maria Fernandes, his mother being a native of Xeldem, Goa.

Moraes was instructed in violin by a teacher named Roque mestri, mastering a wide range of disciplines over a period of about 1 to 2 years.

[3] Moraes' musical talent was recognized by his brother Tiburcio, who brought him a trumpet after returning from a sea voyage, within a year or two of completing schooling.

Dissatisfied with the traditional use of pajama cloth costumes, Moraes began creating more elaborate and character-appropriate attire for the performers in his plays.

Moraes left a significant mark on Goan carnival traditions through his body of dramatic and musical work, which helped shape the cultural landscape of the region during the mid-20th century.

In February 1959, Moraes introduced the first performance of a khell play during carnival season, which was presented on a custom-built stage by Domingo Pidade "Dumpidad" Sequeira at Sirvoddem in Navelim.

His khell-tiatrs were performed at various venues in the city, including P. T. Bhangwadi, St. Mary's Hall Mazagaon, and locations in Parel, Santa Cruz, and Bandra, among others.

Moraes' pioneering innovations and adaptations played a pivotal role in the growth and popularization of the khell theatrical form.

One of Moraes' key innovations was the replacement of the traditional "modd" a march-like drumbeat with a melodic musical introduction to the opening song.

Through his innovative approaches, musical sensibilities, Moraes played a pivotal role in elevating the production values and artistic merit of khell tiatr performances, leaving a mark on this theatrical tradition.

Prior to Moraes' interventions, khell productions utilized a whistle or other auditory signal to cue the musicians to begin playing the introductory music.

Moraes moved away from this practice, instead providing the musicians with verbal prompts or keyword indications within the dialogue to trigger the start of the musical introduction.

Another longstanding convention in khell theater was the uniform dress code, whereby each performer in the troupe adorned themselves in corresponding cotton garments styled as pajamas.

Moraes diverged from this customary practice by meticulously designing each actor's costume to suit the specific character they were depicting during their performance.

This new terminology was subsequently adopted by other Goan theater groups, solidifying khell tiatr as the accepted name for this evolving performance style.

Moraes' innovations are credited with elevating the overall quality and professionalism of khell productions, setting a new standard that was widely emulated by other theater companies in Goa.

Other mestris (playwrights or directors) working within the Konkani theater tradition were inspired to emulate the production qualities and innovations pioneered by Moraes.

Whereas previously such works had simply been referred to as "khells" (street plays), playwrights like Patrick Dourado, Succur Piedade Fernandes, and Vitorino Pereira began branding their productions as khell-tiatrs.

[3] The concept of staging two plays in the khell-tiatr model, following Moraes' lead, was readily adopted by the succeeding generation of acclaimed mestris.

[3] His elder brother, Miguel Morais, was also actively involved in the production of khell tiatrs, a type of Goan folk theater.

Moraes was meticulous in ensuring that each time Miguel participated in his theatrical productions, they were advertised under the name of his brother, known as "Xempea Minglilo Fell".

One of the khell tiatrs (Konkani plays) in which Antonieta showcased her talent was the production titled Axek Lobdolo (Engulfed in Greed).