Author: Francesca Sarasvati Ferrono
Publisher:
Published: 2017
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
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As the largest country in South America, Brazil possesses a reputation for rich cultural production, a diverse population, as well as deeply entrenched issues of inequality and violence. As was true during the military dictatorship, in today's political climate, Brazilian artists continue to be vocal about situations of injustice. Notwithstanding its predominantly black and multi-racial population, one extensive illustration of this injustice is the glaring omission of people of color from nearly every aspect of society, ranging from participation in government to representation in the media and the arts. My research argues for the significance of women and Afro-Brazilians to the performing arts community, its spectators, as well as the citizens of Brazil. This dissertation investigates Grace Passô's collaboration with theater group Espanca! and the ways in which they employ theater to address violence and injustice. Chapter one argues that Espanca!'s democratic methods of collaborative authorship attempt to dehierarchize the structure of traditional theater, providing a model for a more equal society. It analyzes the facets of Passô's undertakings as playwright, actor, and director and situates Espanca! within recent history of politically conscious theater. The second chapter moves to the actors' engagement with spectators at the time of performance and investigates the role of improvisation on audience "presentness." In exploring notions of spontaneity, fixity, and repetition, Passô re-envisions the role of the spectator as active and encourages audiences to be agents of change in society at large. The final chapter considers the group's most recent aesthetic negotiations with current events as means of combating gender, class, and racial violence. I postulate that Espanca!'s most recent short play series, REAL (2015) stages the lives of poor people of color, traditionally made invisible by media and "high" culture, and shows they are viable subjects in art. In the wake of former President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment and conservative attempts to dramatically reduce support of the arts, my conclusion places Espanca!'s protestations alongside collective voices of artists formed since the coup. In this precarious climate, we are reminded that the involvement of artists in social-politics is vital to the maintenance of culture and democracy
