ABSTRACT

In this chapter I set forth some general considerations on the state of the Brazilian stage and consider important trends in its journey from repression during the 1964-1984 military dictatorship to theater’s resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s. My examination of Brazil’s journey away from repression includes the following topics: an overview of the career of Brazil’s foremost theater critic, Sábato Magaldi; a report on the Curitiba theater festival, which in itself sums up the trends of the postdictatorship period; discussions of play writing and the return of comedy; and an appraisal of theater companies in the postdictatorship period, with a special focus on Grupo Macunaíma.