Rethinking the heroic: Demystification and revision of history in the Nuevo Teatro.

摘要

This study explores the ways in which historical conflict has been presented in Latin America's highly politicized Nuevo Teatro. Although it traces the roots of this theatre movement to eighteenth and nineteenth century European intellectuals, it focuses primarily on twentieth century dramatists such as Erwin Piscator, Bertolt Brecht, Augusto Boal and Enrique Buenaventura. Particular attention is devoted to the fusion of radical history theory and the ideas of concientizacion (developing the audience's critical consciousness) through the theatre experience. The "presentist" history theory of Howard Zinn and Hayden White's critiques of conventional historiography are examined, along with the writings of Romain Rolland, Walter Benjamin, Paulo Freire and Fredric Jameson.;Among the specific Nuevo Teatro plays selected for this study are Osvaldo Dragun's La peste viene de Melos, Agustin Cuzzani's Los indios estaban cabreros, Boal's Arena conta Zumbi, and Buenaventura's Teatro Experimental de Cali production of La denuncia. The writings of prominent directors such as Pedro Asquini and Atahualpa del Cioppo are also considered. In both the plays and the theoretical texts the role of the hero in history is a primary focus. In particular, the study examines the tendency of Nuevo Teatro dramatists to undermine or problematize conventional norms of heroic activity.;The effort to democratize the construction of the heroic subject is viewed in relation to the broader question of the democratization of the theatre performance itself. These issues are considered in the context of the writing and rehearsal processes as well as in the actors' interaction with the audience at the time of the public performance. Many questions debated in Nuevo Teatro circles are considered; among the most prominent are (a) the location and configuration of the theatre space and the use of advanced theatre technology and (b) the need to diversify the Nuevo Teatro audience. The demystification and revision of history are important elements of the Nuevo Teatro historical drama and of the larger cultural project of concientizacion. The principal objective of this process is the development of political understanding or "politeracy" among broad sectors of the population, a transformation deemed essential for any significant democratization of society.