Palcos Politicos

Săo Paulo, Brazil, boasts one of the most dynamictheater scenes in the world. While it is generallyagreed that an engaged, activist theater once existedthere, it is widely held that meaningful,sociopolitically engaged dramatic production ceasedwith the end of the military dictatorship in 1985.This book contends that activist theater is in factthriving and that recent years have seen significantgrowth in dynamic, engagé theater in Săo Paulo. Afterlaying out a theoretical framework, this bookexamines how two of the greatest names in activisttheater, Augusto Boal and Bertolt Brecht, interactand how they fit into the broader context of theaterhistory. Chapters two and three examine two specificactivist theater troupes in depth: Folias d'Arte andTeatro Uniăo e Olho Vivo, the latter more establishedand working in poor peripheral neighborhoods and theformer relatively new and centered in the bustlingcenter of South America's largest metropolis. Chapterfour offers a more panoramic view of the currentstate of the overall contemporary activist theaterscene in Săo Paulo, clearly showing thatsociopolitically engaged theater is alive and well inthat city.