A prominent icon in Brazilian theater, Escobar was one of the country's leading cultural producers and activists for the arts.

[1] She emigrated from Portugal to Brazil in 1951, settled in São Paulo, and married Carlos Henrique de Escobar Fagundes [pt], a philosopher, poet and playwright.

[1] She then studied acting in Paris, France, and then returned to São Paulo, where she founded her own theater company called Novo Teatro.

[1] Escobar also brought the Catalan group Els Joglars, the Hamada Zenia Gekijo company of Japan, City Players of Iran, and Grupo G.Belli of Italy to Brazil for the festivals.

She was twice elected to the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo for two terms in 1983 and 1987, where she focused on community and cultural projects.