Palcos Políticos

Following a brief history of activist and political theater in Brazil with a focus on Sao Paulo, this dissertation sets out to evaluate the current status of activist theater in that city. It has become a commonplace to affirm that theater in general is a powerful vehicle for social change and it is generally agreed that an engaged, creative theater existed in Brazil during the military dictatorship. However, it is widely held by academics and observers of Brazilian theater that meaningful sociopolitically engaged dramatic production ceased with the end of the military dictatorship in 1985. This dissertation contends that recent years have seen significant growth in dynamic, engage theater in Sao Paulo.