Latin American Women Dramatists : Theater, Texts, and Theories

"The book highlights the many possibilities of the innovative work of these dramatists, and this will, it is to be hoped, help the editors to achieve one of their other key goals: productions of the plays in English." -- Times Literary Supplement"This thoughtfully crafted book with its insightful and informative studies elucidates an overlooked, essential component of the Latin American literary canon." -- ChoiceContributors discuss 15 works of Latin-American playwrights, delineate the artistic lives of women dramatists of the last half of the twentieth century -- from countries as diverse as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela -- and highlight the problems inherent in writing under politically repressive governments. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction (Catherine Larson and Margarita Vargas)......Page 12 PART I: Theatrical Self-Consciousness......Page 28 Reenacting Politics: The Theater of Griselda Gambaro (Becky Boling)......Page 30 Maruxa Vilalta: Una voz en el desierto (Sharon Magnarelli)......Page 50 Playing a Waiting Game: The Theater of Mariela Romero (Anita K.Stoll)......Page 68 PART IIA: The Personal as Political......Page 80 Power Plays /Plays of Power: The Theater of Pilar Campesino (Carla Olson Buck)......Page 82 The Tortured Magic of Hebe Serebrisky (George Woodyard)......Page 101 Acting Radical: The Dramaturgy of Consuelo de Castro (Margo Milleret)......Page 116 PART IIB: National Politics......Page 138 The Theater of Diana Raznovich and Percepticide in El desconcierto (Diana Taylor)......Page 140 A Moveable Space: The Problem of Puerto Rico in Myrna Casas’s Theater (Vicky Unruh)......Page 153 PART III: History......Page 170 Sabina Berman’s Undone Threads (Ronald D.Burgess)......Page 172 Social Critique and Theatrical Power in the Plays of Isidora Aguirre (Adam Versényi)......Page 186 PART IV: Feminist Positions......Page 206 Carmen Boullosa’s Obligingly Heretic Art: New Challenges for Criticism (Roselyn Costantino)......Page 208 Leilah Assunção: Marginal Women and the Female Experience (Judith Bissett)......Page 229 For Women Only? The Theater of Susana Torres Molina (Jacqueline Eyring Bixler)......Page 242 Masculine Space in the Plays of Estela Leñero (Myra S.Gann)......Page 261 Elusive Dreams, Shattered Illusions: The Theater of Elena Garro (Stacy Southerland)......Page 270 Selected Bibliography......Page 290 Contributors......Page 296 Index......Page 300 Reenacting Politics : The Theater Of Griselda Gambaro / Becky Boling -- Maruxa Vilata / Sharon Magnarelli -- Playing A Waiting Game : The Theater Of Mariela Romero / Anita K. Stoll -- Power Plays, Plays Of Power : The Theater Of Pilar Campesino / Carla Olson Black -- The Tortured Magic Of Hebe Serebrisky / George Woodyard -- Acting Radical : The Dramaturgy Of Consuelo De Castro / Margo Milleret -- The Theater Of Diana Raznovich And Percepticide In El Desconcierto / Diana Taylor -- A Moveable Space : The Problem Of Puerto Rico In Myrna Casas's Theater / Vicky Unruh. Sabina Berman's Undone Threads / Ronald D. Burgess -- Social Critique And Theatrical Power In The Plays Of Isidora Aguirre / Adam Versényi -- Carmen Boullosa's Obligingly Heretic Art / Roselyn Constantino -- Leilah Assunção / Judith Bisett -- For Women Only? : The Theater Of Susan Torres Molina / Jacqueline Eyring Bixler -- Masculine Space In The Plays Of Estela Leñero / Myra S. Gann -- Elusive Dreams, Shattered Illusions : The Theater Of Elena Garro / Stacy Southerland. Edited By Catherine Larson And Margarita Vargas. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 263-268) And Index. “This thoughtfully crafted . . . insightful and informative [anthology] elucidates an overlooked, essential component of the Latin American literary canon” ( Choice ). Latin American Women Dramatists sheds much-needed light on the significant contributions made by these pioneering authors during the last half of the twentieth century. Contributors discuss fifteen works of Latin-American playwrights, delineate the artistic lives of women dramatists from countries as diverse as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Looking at these writers and their work from political, historical, and feminist perspectives, this anthology also underscores the problems inherent in writing under repressive governments. “The book highlights the many possibilities of the innovative work of these dramatists, and this will, it is to be hoped, help the editors to achieve one of their other key goals: productions of the plays in English.” — Times Literary Supplement , UK The Book Highlights The Many Possibilities Of The Innovative Work Of These Dramatists, And This Will, It Is To Be Hoped, Help The Editors To Achieve One Of Their Other Key Goals: Productions Of The Plays In English. —times Literary Supplement This Thoughtfully Crafted Book With Its Insightful And Informative Studies Elucidates An Overlooked, Essential Component Of The Latin American Literary Canon. —choice Contributors Discuss 15 Works Of Latin-american Playwrights, Delineate The Artistic Lives Of Women Dramatists Of The Last Half Of The Twentieth Century—from Countries As Diverse As Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, And Venezuela—and Highlight The Problems Inherent In Writing Under Politically Repressive Governments. Contributors discuss the works of 15 Latin American playwrights and delineate the artistic lives of these women dramatists. The playwrights from countries as diverse as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela all highlight the problems inherent in writing under politically repressive governments. They also illustrate through the writer's experiences that gender difference entails both loss and profit. A theme common to all the playwrights is that their plays - whether they subscribe to traditional male forms of writing or are involved in dismantling masculine structures "One lives in a politique, and in a politicized society; so necessarily, this will be reflected in the work of art, be that what it may," Griselda Gambaro has said, referring to her own work in the Argentine theater (Betsko and Koenig 186).