Monday, July 20, 2009
Comunicação para FIRT/IFRT
Boas, a semana passada foi a conferência internacional anual da FIRT/IFRT, cujo tema geral era "Censorship and Performance". Segue a minha comunicação/paper.
Besos
UNIVERSITY OF LISBON
FACULTY OF LETTERS
ARTISTIC STUDIES
No Women in the Theatre:
Paper to be read at the IFTR/2009
Bruno Schiappa
PHD program
in Artistic Studies
Specialty: Theatrical Studies
2009
4 – Introduction
5 – 1) Women gradually banned from Theatre
7 – 2) The statements of foreigners regarding the Theatre in Portugal
7 – 2.1) William Beckford
7 – 2.2) Duc du Chateley
8 – 2.3) Robert Southey
9 – 3) Pina Manique and the banishment of Women both from the stage and from the Theatre buildings
9 – 3.1) The case of Luisa Todi
10 – 3.2) The Royal Theatre of São Carlos
11 – 4) Prejudice Extension
12 – Conclusion
23 – Bibliography
No Women in the Theatre
Introduction
No matter how skilled a man may be to perform the role of a woman, it will never be fully accomplished if the purpose is to recreate the most inner truth of a female emotional state and vice versa.
Hence, if women are prevented from acting and only men play female roles, something will be missing in the performance since there is no true inner commitment as far as feelings are concerned. There might be some exceptions but one cannot count on that to make a rule.
However, in the 18th century women were kept from showing themselves in Royal spectacles and public Theatres. In fact, during the reign of the Portuguese Queen Mary I (r. 1777 – 1816), they were simply banished not only from the stage but from the auditorium.
This circumstance not only provoked a delay in the development of the Theatre in Portugal (mainly in Lisbon) but it also restrained the development of the Portuguese society as far as the ideas of the Enlightenment are concerned.
The Enlightenment considered Theatre to be a “school of civilization” and a moderator of vices as well as a morality builder and to be so it should always be “vraisemblable” or truth-seeming.
Therefore, the atmosphere of the theatrical performances where only men played all the roles, which were considered ridiculous by several foreigners who visited Portugal at the time, could not be of much contribution for the achievement of such an elevated title that the rest of the Western World conferred to the Theatre.
1 – Women gradually banned from Theatre
Already during the last years of the reign of the Portuguese King John V, when he became feverishly devoted to religion, women started to be cast away from the Royal stages. During the reign of King Joseph I, due to the deep jealousy of the Queen Mariana, they were not even allowed among the audience in the theatre performances at the Royal stages. In 1772 two foreigners, Twiss and Wraxall, wrote the following:
Twiss: I went to the King’s palace, in Belém, the 17th November, where I saw the Italian opera Ezio. (…) women are not allowed to this show, except for the ones of the Royal House. They are also not admitted in the Theatre: castrati in women’s disguises take their place (…). But I was shocked by seeing the ballets during the intermissions, performed by men, whose black beards and large shoulders under women’s costumes do not inspire anything pleasant. This unusual habit is said to be caused by the Queen’s jealousy. (CARREIRA: p. 391)
Wraxall: (…) A circumstance distinguished these representations of everything I had seen in other places; it may seem very extraordinary, therefore you’ll hardly believe it: women were completely excluded, not only from the room but also from the stage; thus, none could be neither spectator nor actress. (Ibidem).
After the death of King Joseph I, women were banned from the Public stages. Laureano Carreira says that at this time, in Lisbon, women only had the chance to act in the private houses (CARREIRA: (p.398). With Queen Mary I those measures forbidding women on stages were so strict that “the proscription of female performers was a sine qua non without which a theatrical script could not be performed.” (ELEUTÉRIO: p. 278). It means that in order to get a license from the Real Mesa Censória for a script to be performed, the theatrical entrepreneurs had to declare that it would only be played by men.
Queen Mary I claimed that this was imposed in order to keep the morality and good values.
In a letter of 1779, Arthur William Costigan[1] wrote:
Dear brother:
I promised that in one of my letters I would tell you about a theatre performance that we attended to. It was an authentic farce; in my point of view, it exceeded in ridiculous and grotesque everything rude that was ever produced in the Theatre. Nowadays there’s no public theatre because the pious Queen does not allow a public school of immorality; she would even less allow that women could show up on stage. Her opinion is that consenting women to expose themselves to audiences in that way would look like she was sponsoring the favorite vice of the country; since the main issue is to avoid scandal. It does confirm what I said some time ago, the same way that also agrees with the advise given in this country by old monks to the youth: si non caste tantum modo caute, if you can’t be a saint at least take care. According to these same reasons, Her Majesty, due to her absolute authority, can prevent women from performing in public: they, however, thank God that she is not empowered to keep them from performing in private. (CARREIRA: p 476. T. M.)
Whether or not it was because of the above mentioned reasons or because of her deep jealousy, the fact is that only in 1800 women were officially back on stage as actresses.
2 –Assessments of foreigners regarding the Theatre in Portugal
Several travelers left their impressions about the theatrical life in Portugal during the 18th century. I have selected the statements of three travelers who visited Portugal between the years 1787 and 1797.
2. 1 – William Beckford – (1760 – 1844)
Was in Portugal in 1787/88 and again in 1794
D. Pedro (…) entreated me to take them to the Salitri theatre, where a box had been prepared for us by his father’s orders. Upon the whole I was better entertained than I expected, though the performance lasted above four hours and a half, from seven to near twelve. It consisted of a ranting prose tragedy, in three acts, called Sesostris, two ballets, a pastoral, and a farce. The decorations were not amiss, and the dresses showy. A shambling, bear-eyed boy, bundled out in weeds of the deepest sable, squeaked and bellowed alternately the part of a widowed princess. Another hob-e-di-hoy, tottering on high-heeled shoes, represented her Egyptian majesty, and warbled two airs with all the nauseous sweetness of a fluted falsetto. Though I could have boxed his ears for surfeiting mine so filthly, the audience were of a different opinion, and were quite enthusiastic in their applause. (BECKFORD: pp.239, 240)
2. 2 – Duc du Chatelet – (1727 – 1793)
Was in Portugal in uncertain year and his statements were published in 1799
To emphasize the disgust inspired by their dramatic representations, a false idea of decency completely swept women away from stage and one has to accept to see men who bear beards playing the roles of queens, princesses and lovely ladies. The beautiful sex is excluded even from the ballets. The repertory of its actors is mainly based on the best plays translated from the French, Italian, a large number from Spanish and a few ones from the English. They even translated several of our comic-operas. However, their favorite plays are still those which tell the mysteries of the Passion and other aspects of the Holy Book; those which represent Christ, the Holy Virgin and the Saints. (CHATELÊT: p. 83. T. M.)
2. 3 – Robert Southey
Was in Portugal in 1797 and in 1800
The Italian Opera, whose absurdity requires such wickedness to support it, is in general but thinly attended here. The present Queen suffers no woman to appear on stage, and this measure, in reality the effect of her jealousy, was said to proceed from her regard to the morals of the public. Permission has been granted since I arrived here for a female dancer to exhibit herself, and the theatre has been crowded in consequence. Where was her Majesty’s regard to the public morals when she permitted this? No amusement should be tolerated which cannot benefit the spectator, and must vitiate the performer. Such Spartan-like prohibitions would be deemed despotic in our modern free states, where sumptuary laws are thought encroachments upon freedom; but how the diseased man shrinks when you touch his sores! (SOUTHEY: Pp. 345, 346)
As we can see the result of men pretending to be women was not very pleasant , according to these statements and we can imagine that the result for the local people was also ridiculous, grotesque or at least comic. That would be the result of a constant caricature and therefore would not honour the Theatre.
3 – Pina Manique and the banishment of Women both from the stage and from the Theatre buildings
In 1780, December the 15th, the Chief of the Portuguese Police, Pina Manique, observing a request for a license for theatrical plays, writes the following to the Queen Mary I:
… it seems to me that the applicants are worthy of the requested grace mainly because all the plays will be performed only by men which means that there won’t occur those disturbances which arouse whenever there is a huge gathering of people of both sexes. And to cut any abusive situation that might show up it is necessary that under no pretext shall women be allowed to pass the doors of the Theatre of the representation, back stage, and scenery places and lodges; and in the boxes there shall be no curtains and no woman or prostitute who shadow the virtue shall be accepted.
3. 1 – The case of Luisa Todi (1753 – 1833)
Luisa Todi was the most famous Portuguese actress and singer of the 18th century. She worked in Lisbon and than she moved to Oporto where she worked from 1771 until 1776, the year in which she left Portugal to work abroad becoming very famous and singing on the most prestigious stages in Europe. In spite of the importance of her diplomatic role carrying the name of Portugal wherever she sang, she suffered the restraining measures that did not allow women to act on Portuguese Theatres. She was only allowed to come back to sing in 1793, for the celebration of the birth of the Princess of Beira, Maria Teresa de Bragança. Todi needed a special permit which was only granted due to the intervention of the Empress of Prussia and to the request made by the Portuguese diplomat assigned to her court. It was the same Pina Manique who accepted her for the celebration but Victor Eleutério says that:
The coldness of the reception, the absence of the royal family and the audience’s lack of enthusiasm dramatically highlighted the difference in the presence of Europe’s most famous actress and singer. (ELEUTÉRIO: p.263)
Luisa Todi came back to Portugal in 1799 and died in 1811, poor and blind.
3. 2 – The Royal Theatre of São Carlos
In 1793, June 21st, the same Chief of the Police asked Queen Mary I permission to change the name of the new Opera Theatre from Princesa do Brasil to São Carlos.
At this point, the last request is to beg Your Highness to give us the license to name the actual Theatre Princesa do Brasil with the title of São Carlos (…).
The Theatre had been built with money from several merchants and the gathered receipts were meant to finance the functioning of the Casa Pia, an Orphanage for boys founded by Pina Manique. Queen Mary was not interested in promoting a Theatre, since it was due to her that women were kept away from all official stages, hence, for a Public Theatre to be blessed by her it would better carry a religious name. Since its architect, José da Costa e Silva, had followed the plan of the Teatro S. Carlo in Naples, the choice was clear. In fact, if women were not allowed to act how could a Theatre bear the name of a woman and specially of a royal one? The fact that it was previously called Teatro Princeza do Brasil mislead some of the Portuguese Historians about the origin of its name.
4 – Prejudice Extension
As Roland Barthes once said, mentalities take longer to change than ideologies. Prejudice belongs to the ambit of mentality. Therefore, when a prejudice is installed, even when political and social circumstances change, the social behaviour tends to remain unchanged for a while. In 1805, 3rd of January, the Police Chief at the time, still under the authority of Queen Mary I (although her madness was already deeply installed and her son was the regent since 1799), writes in the books of the Intendência Geral da Polícia:
I was notified by Agostinho Catalani that in his house had been insulted by Jozé Antonio Caminha, Lucio Jozé Bolonha, and Manoel Izidro da Paz beating him with several slaps and meaning to throw him from the stairs because the above mentioned Agostinho Catalani wanted to preserve the honour of his house and not to allow them in there (…). In the morning of the following day he came with tears in his eyes repeating the same notification and saying again that he did not want to lose the good opinion in which he had always preserved his wife, and daughter, in Italy and several other countries of Europe where he had been. (…) It is true that no family chief is obliged to allow in his house any person against his will; it is also true that wife and children are subjected to him and that the recurrent has given proves that he keeps wife and daughter without any note in their behaviour, which is very rare among people who work in the Theatre.
Catalani’s wife as well as his daughter were both actresses and singers and the event took place after an opening in S. Carlos’ Theatre.
Conclusion
Either caused by despotic authority or under the reasons of religion, censorship against women did create a bigger gap than the one that already existed between Portugal and the rest of the Europe. It limited Theatrical evolution for it ignored the importance of women to convey feminine emotions. Failing that, the role of Theatre as a “school of civilization” also failed. Therefore, the ideas of the Enlightenment did not reach the Portuguese population as far as Theatre is concerned. It was a drawback in what Marquês de Pombal had achieved. It was a drawback from the rest of the world. That was the consequence of a situation that lasted for more than twenty years. A situation that kept the audience away from truth and seriousness, by depriving it from watching women act. Those were the consequences of casting women away from stages silencing their voices and forbidding their lives.
Bibliography
Contas da Secretaria da Intendência Geral da Polícia, Livros I, IV e VIII, A. N. T. T.
BECKFORD, William
1835, Italy; with sketches of Spain and Portugal, Vol. II, London: Richard Bentley
BRITO, Manuel Carlos de,
1989, Opera in Portugal in the eighteenth century, Cambridge: Cambridge
CARREIRA, Laureano
1988, O Teatro e a Censura em Portugal na Segunda Metade do séc. VXIII, Lisboa: Imprensa nacional – Casa da Moeda
CHATELET, Duc du,
1799, Voyage en Portugal, Vol. II, BN
ELEUTÉRIO, Victor Luís,
2003, Luisa Todi, Lisboa: Montepio Geral
SOUTHEY, Robert,
1799, Letters written during a short residence in Spain and Portugal, Bristol: Longman and Rees.
[1] Literary pseudonym of the Portuguese Major Diogo Ferrier.
Besos
UNIVERSITY OF LISBON
FACULTY OF LETTERS
ARTISTIC STUDIES
No Women in the Theatre:
Paper to be read at the IFTR/2009
Bruno Schiappa
PHD program
in Artistic Studies
Specialty: Theatrical Studies
2009
4 – Introduction
5 – 1) Women gradually banned from Theatre
7 – 2) The statements of foreigners regarding the Theatre in Portugal
7 – 2.1) William Beckford
7 – 2.2) Duc du Chateley
8 – 2.3) Robert Southey
9 – 3) Pina Manique and the banishment of Women both from the stage and from the Theatre buildings
9 – 3.1) The case of Luisa Todi
10 – 3.2) The Royal Theatre of São Carlos
11 – 4) Prejudice Extension
12 – Conclusion
23 – Bibliography
No Women in the Theatre
Introduction
No matter how skilled a man may be to perform the role of a woman, it will never be fully accomplished if the purpose is to recreate the most inner truth of a female emotional state and vice versa.
Hence, if women are prevented from acting and only men play female roles, something will be missing in the performance since there is no true inner commitment as far as feelings are concerned. There might be some exceptions but one cannot count on that to make a rule.
However, in the 18th century women were kept from showing themselves in Royal spectacles and public Theatres. In fact, during the reign of the Portuguese Queen Mary I (r. 1777 – 1816), they were simply banished not only from the stage but from the auditorium.
This circumstance not only provoked a delay in the development of the Theatre in Portugal (mainly in Lisbon) but it also restrained the development of the Portuguese society as far as the ideas of the Enlightenment are concerned.
The Enlightenment considered Theatre to be a “school of civilization” and a moderator of vices as well as a morality builder and to be so it should always be “vraisemblable” or truth-seeming.
Therefore, the atmosphere of the theatrical performances where only men played all the roles, which were considered ridiculous by several foreigners who visited Portugal at the time, could not be of much contribution for the achievement of such an elevated title that the rest of the Western World conferred to the Theatre.
1 – Women gradually banned from Theatre
Already during the last years of the reign of the Portuguese King John V, when he became feverishly devoted to religion, women started to be cast away from the Royal stages. During the reign of King Joseph I, due to the deep jealousy of the Queen Mariana, they were not even allowed among the audience in the theatre performances at the Royal stages. In 1772 two foreigners, Twiss and Wraxall, wrote the following:
Twiss: I went to the King’s palace, in Belém, the 17th November, where I saw the Italian opera Ezio. (…) women are not allowed to this show, except for the ones of the Royal House. They are also not admitted in the Theatre: castrati in women’s disguises take their place (…). But I was shocked by seeing the ballets during the intermissions, performed by men, whose black beards and large shoulders under women’s costumes do not inspire anything pleasant. This unusual habit is said to be caused by the Queen’s jealousy. (CARREIRA: p. 391)
Wraxall: (…) A circumstance distinguished these representations of everything I had seen in other places; it may seem very extraordinary, therefore you’ll hardly believe it: women were completely excluded, not only from the room but also from the stage; thus, none could be neither spectator nor actress. (Ibidem).
After the death of King Joseph I, women were banned from the Public stages. Laureano Carreira says that at this time, in Lisbon, women only had the chance to act in the private houses (CARREIRA: (p.398). With Queen Mary I those measures forbidding women on stages were so strict that “the proscription of female performers was a sine qua non without which a theatrical script could not be performed.” (ELEUTÉRIO: p. 278). It means that in order to get a license from the Real Mesa Censória for a script to be performed, the theatrical entrepreneurs had to declare that it would only be played by men.
Queen Mary I claimed that this was imposed in order to keep the morality and good values.
In a letter of 1779, Arthur William Costigan[1] wrote:
Dear brother:
I promised that in one of my letters I would tell you about a theatre performance that we attended to. It was an authentic farce; in my point of view, it exceeded in ridiculous and grotesque everything rude that was ever produced in the Theatre. Nowadays there’s no public theatre because the pious Queen does not allow a public school of immorality; she would even less allow that women could show up on stage. Her opinion is that consenting women to expose themselves to audiences in that way would look like she was sponsoring the favorite vice of the country; since the main issue is to avoid scandal. It does confirm what I said some time ago, the same way that also agrees with the advise given in this country by old monks to the youth: si non caste tantum modo caute, if you can’t be a saint at least take care. According to these same reasons, Her Majesty, due to her absolute authority, can prevent women from performing in public: they, however, thank God that she is not empowered to keep them from performing in private. (CARREIRA: p 476. T. M.)
Whether or not it was because of the above mentioned reasons or because of her deep jealousy, the fact is that only in 1800 women were officially back on stage as actresses.
2 –Assessments of foreigners regarding the Theatre in Portugal
Several travelers left their impressions about the theatrical life in Portugal during the 18th century. I have selected the statements of three travelers who visited Portugal between the years 1787 and 1797.
2. 1 – William Beckford – (1760 – 1844)
Was in Portugal in 1787/88 and again in 1794
D. Pedro (…) entreated me to take them to the Salitri theatre, where a box had been prepared for us by his father’s orders. Upon the whole I was better entertained than I expected, though the performance lasted above four hours and a half, from seven to near twelve. It consisted of a ranting prose tragedy, in three acts, called Sesostris, two ballets, a pastoral, and a farce. The decorations were not amiss, and the dresses showy. A shambling, bear-eyed boy, bundled out in weeds of the deepest sable, squeaked and bellowed alternately the part of a widowed princess. Another hob-e-di-hoy, tottering on high-heeled shoes, represented her Egyptian majesty, and warbled two airs with all the nauseous sweetness of a fluted falsetto. Though I could have boxed his ears for surfeiting mine so filthly, the audience were of a different opinion, and were quite enthusiastic in their applause. (BECKFORD: pp.239, 240)
2. 2 – Duc du Chatelet – (1727 – 1793)
Was in Portugal in uncertain year and his statements were published in 1799
To emphasize the disgust inspired by their dramatic representations, a false idea of decency completely swept women away from stage and one has to accept to see men who bear beards playing the roles of queens, princesses and lovely ladies. The beautiful sex is excluded even from the ballets. The repertory of its actors is mainly based on the best plays translated from the French, Italian, a large number from Spanish and a few ones from the English. They even translated several of our comic-operas. However, their favorite plays are still those which tell the mysteries of the Passion and other aspects of the Holy Book; those which represent Christ, the Holy Virgin and the Saints. (CHATELÊT: p. 83. T. M.)
2. 3 – Robert Southey
Was in Portugal in 1797 and in 1800
The Italian Opera, whose absurdity requires such wickedness to support it, is in general but thinly attended here. The present Queen suffers no woman to appear on stage, and this measure, in reality the effect of her jealousy, was said to proceed from her regard to the morals of the public. Permission has been granted since I arrived here for a female dancer to exhibit herself, and the theatre has been crowded in consequence. Where was her Majesty’s regard to the public morals when she permitted this? No amusement should be tolerated which cannot benefit the spectator, and must vitiate the performer. Such Spartan-like prohibitions would be deemed despotic in our modern free states, where sumptuary laws are thought encroachments upon freedom; but how the diseased man shrinks when you touch his sores! (SOUTHEY: Pp. 345, 346)
As we can see the result of men pretending to be women was not very pleasant , according to these statements and we can imagine that the result for the local people was also ridiculous, grotesque or at least comic. That would be the result of a constant caricature and therefore would not honour the Theatre.
3 – Pina Manique and the banishment of Women both from the stage and from the Theatre buildings
In 1780, December the 15th, the Chief of the Portuguese Police, Pina Manique, observing a request for a license for theatrical plays, writes the following to the Queen Mary I:
… it seems to me that the applicants are worthy of the requested grace mainly because all the plays will be performed only by men which means that there won’t occur those disturbances which arouse whenever there is a huge gathering of people of both sexes. And to cut any abusive situation that might show up it is necessary that under no pretext shall women be allowed to pass the doors of the Theatre of the representation, back stage, and scenery places and lodges; and in the boxes there shall be no curtains and no woman or prostitute who shadow the virtue shall be accepted.
3. 1 – The case of Luisa Todi (1753 – 1833)
Luisa Todi was the most famous Portuguese actress and singer of the 18th century. She worked in Lisbon and than she moved to Oporto where she worked from 1771 until 1776, the year in which she left Portugal to work abroad becoming very famous and singing on the most prestigious stages in Europe. In spite of the importance of her diplomatic role carrying the name of Portugal wherever she sang, she suffered the restraining measures that did not allow women to act on Portuguese Theatres. She was only allowed to come back to sing in 1793, for the celebration of the birth of the Princess of Beira, Maria Teresa de Bragança. Todi needed a special permit which was only granted due to the intervention of the Empress of Prussia and to the request made by the Portuguese diplomat assigned to her court. It was the same Pina Manique who accepted her for the celebration but Victor Eleutério says that:
The coldness of the reception, the absence of the royal family and the audience’s lack of enthusiasm dramatically highlighted the difference in the presence of Europe’s most famous actress and singer. (ELEUTÉRIO: p.263)
Luisa Todi came back to Portugal in 1799 and died in 1811, poor and blind.
3. 2 – The Royal Theatre of São Carlos
In 1793, June 21st, the same Chief of the Police asked Queen Mary I permission to change the name of the new Opera Theatre from Princesa do Brasil to São Carlos.
At this point, the last request is to beg Your Highness to give us the license to name the actual Theatre Princesa do Brasil with the title of São Carlos (…).
The Theatre had been built with money from several merchants and the gathered receipts were meant to finance the functioning of the Casa Pia, an Orphanage for boys founded by Pina Manique. Queen Mary was not interested in promoting a Theatre, since it was due to her that women were kept away from all official stages, hence, for a Public Theatre to be blessed by her it would better carry a religious name. Since its architect, José da Costa e Silva, had followed the plan of the Teatro S. Carlo in Naples, the choice was clear. In fact, if women were not allowed to act how could a Theatre bear the name of a woman and specially of a royal one? The fact that it was previously called Teatro Princeza do Brasil mislead some of the Portuguese Historians about the origin of its name.
4 – Prejudice Extension
As Roland Barthes once said, mentalities take longer to change than ideologies. Prejudice belongs to the ambit of mentality. Therefore, when a prejudice is installed, even when political and social circumstances change, the social behaviour tends to remain unchanged for a while. In 1805, 3rd of January, the Police Chief at the time, still under the authority of Queen Mary I (although her madness was already deeply installed and her son was the regent since 1799), writes in the books of the Intendência Geral da Polícia:
I was notified by Agostinho Catalani that in his house had been insulted by Jozé Antonio Caminha, Lucio Jozé Bolonha, and Manoel Izidro da Paz beating him with several slaps and meaning to throw him from the stairs because the above mentioned Agostinho Catalani wanted to preserve the honour of his house and not to allow them in there (…). In the morning of the following day he came with tears in his eyes repeating the same notification and saying again that he did not want to lose the good opinion in which he had always preserved his wife, and daughter, in Italy and several other countries of Europe where he had been. (…) It is true that no family chief is obliged to allow in his house any person against his will; it is also true that wife and children are subjected to him and that the recurrent has given proves that he keeps wife and daughter without any note in their behaviour, which is very rare among people who work in the Theatre.
Catalani’s wife as well as his daughter were both actresses and singers and the event took place after an opening in S. Carlos’ Theatre.
Conclusion
Either caused by despotic authority or under the reasons of religion, censorship against women did create a bigger gap than the one that already existed between Portugal and the rest of the Europe. It limited Theatrical evolution for it ignored the importance of women to convey feminine emotions. Failing that, the role of Theatre as a “school of civilization” also failed. Therefore, the ideas of the Enlightenment did not reach the Portuguese population as far as Theatre is concerned. It was a drawback in what Marquês de Pombal had achieved. It was a drawback from the rest of the world. That was the consequence of a situation that lasted for more than twenty years. A situation that kept the audience away from truth and seriousness, by depriving it from watching women act. Those were the consequences of casting women away from stages silencing their voices and forbidding their lives.
Bibliography
Contas da Secretaria da Intendência Geral da Polícia, Livros I, IV e VIII, A. N. T. T.
BECKFORD, William
1835, Italy; with sketches of Spain and Portugal, Vol. II, London: Richard Bentley
BRITO, Manuel Carlos de,
1989, Opera in Portugal in the eighteenth century, Cambridge: Cambridge
CARREIRA, Laureano
1988, O Teatro e a Censura em Portugal na Segunda Metade do séc. VXIII, Lisboa: Imprensa nacional – Casa da Moeda
CHATELET, Duc du,
1799, Voyage en Portugal, Vol. II, BN
ELEUTÉRIO, Victor Luís,
2003, Luisa Todi, Lisboa: Montepio Geral
SOUTHEY, Robert,
1799, Letters written during a short residence in Spain and Portugal, Bristol: Longman and Rees.
[1] Literary pseudonym of the Portuguese Major Diogo Ferrier.
Academic or not?
Pois é querido blog. Apesar de, universalmente, os estudos performativos serem considerados sine qua non para perceber a evolução do ser humano e da sociedade (ethnos, pathos, ethos), o preconceito medíocre continua a ver só a aplicabilidade prática. Mesmo sendo uma área de estudos da Univ. Clássica. O pior é que parte dos próprios performers. Põe-me os nervos em franja. Eu explico, os Estudos Artísticos existem num vertente teórica que se define por ciências sociais e humanas. Qualquer candidatura à bolsa mais elevada neste país (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia), da qual sou bolseiro, só é atribuída, depois de se considerar pertinente e inovador o projecto de Doutoramento, se o estado da "arte" naquela área for pouco desenvovido e merecer atenção. Inferimos, deste modo, que para o conhecimento instituído, é definida como arte toda e qualquer obra (work) que nasça da mão do homem. Assim, as ciências matemáticas: física, química e medicina, são "arte". Política, é arte, psicologia é arte, antroplogia é arte, sociologia, é arte, etc. Porquê? Porque tudo aquilo que exista na natureza em estado bruto e caótico só passa a ter existência concreta quando "organizado" pelo Homem. A partir desta premissa, tudo o que existe e que foi instituído pelo Homem é Arte. Já na Grécia Clássica, as três disciplinas mais importantes eram, por esta mesma ordem, Arte, Filosofia e Direito.
Ora bem, onde quero eu chegar com isto? Acontece que, como sou um homem de palco (dos teatros e afins) o meu percurso académico é assombrado por isso, i.e., como estou a fazer um Doutoramento em Estudos Artísticos (depois de um Mestrado em estudos de Teatro e, antes dele, uma pós graduação/especialização na mesma área), ainda ouço colegas a falarem como me falavam outrora no Curso Superior de Teatro (como se fosse só ler, escrever e fazer peças). Bom, há poucos dias, falando sobre as defesas das teses de mestrado, alguém referia uma tese como "mais" académcia do que outra. Ora, se são tudo áreas da Academia como é que uma pode ser "mais" académica do que a outra? Têm a mesma extensão, são sujeitas à mesma forma estrutural e têm que integrar uma determinada quantidade de biografia pertinente. Além de que são sempre o estudo de uma ideia de determinado campo do conhecimento. Excepto quando se passa para o plano do Doutoramento no qual se passa para a defesa de uma ideia nova e inovadora para determinado campo do conhecimento. Não sei porquê mas irritou-me mesmo muito. Bem, irá passar rapidamente, tenho a certeza.
Besos
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Hello life!
Querido Blog, long time no see :--).Ontem fui aos Fados da Tasca do Chico com um amigo que vive em Londres e estava cá de fugida. Adivinhem quem lá estava com o seu staff? E GNR's à paisana? O Sacana Lopes (perdão, Santana), lol.Hoje fui ver "Bruno": um must para escapar às sugestões da silly season. Terminei o dia a comprar o CD dos Oquestrada (Martinha, que saudades dos vossos tempos Chapitonianos com a banda sonora que fizeram para o Nosferatu). Estou a ouvir agora e animadamente. Ainda comprei dois filmes com o Sr. Javier Barden (Golden Balls e Desejos Inconscientes). A partir dagora venha o Sacha Baron Cohen quando quiser. Fiquei fã :-). Bem, vou passear o Lobo. Entretanto fiquem com o momento trágico em que medeia é consumida pelo fogo irreversível da verdade depois de matar os filhos. Besos
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
7 da manhã
Odeio as pessoas que se levantam às sete da manhã na boa. Eu nunca consigo. Parece sempre que os olhos estão colados.
Mas enfim.... la vie oblige.
Besos
Monday, April 27, 2009
Produção e programação nacional
Não sei qual é pior, se a produção da TVI ou se a programação da SIC.
A TVI apresenta, numa produção sua, Equador, onde surge uma pedra de tomar banho e/ou lavar as mãos com a inscrição lift up, isto numa época em Portugal era um dos grandes fabricadores de parafernália para a higiene no WC. A SIC programou uma novela brasileira, com o título Caminho para as Índias, onde as mulheres fazem a dança sagrada dos dedos e mãos sem o mínimo cuidado de saberem o que estão a fazer.
Enfim.
F***-se. É mesmo atroz a actualidades.
Besos
A TVI apresenta, numa produção sua, Equador, onde surge uma pedra de tomar banho e/ou lavar as mãos com a inscrição lift up, isto numa época em Portugal era um dos grandes fabricadores de parafernália para a higiene no WC. A SIC programou uma novela brasileira, com o título Caminho para as Índias, onde as mulheres fazem a dança sagrada dos dedos e mãos sem o mínimo cuidado de saberem o que estão a fazer.
Enfim.
F***-se. É mesmo atroz a actualidades.
Besos
Sunday, April 26, 2009
25 de Abril e Mais
Ora, foi um fim de semana votado a Abril e foi muito bom :-))
No sábado fui sozinho ao Rossio porque o ppl estava de ressaca. Mas não pude deixar de marcar presença na celebração da Liberdade. Ainda este fim de semana também fui "baptizar" o Lobo na praia. Fica o vídeo.
Besos
No sábado fui sozinho ao Rossio porque o ppl estava de ressaca. Mas não pude deixar de marcar presença na celebração da Liberdade. Ainda este fim de semana também fui "baptizar" o Lobo na praia. Fica o vídeo.
Besos
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Katy Brand - Sugababes Parody (Three New Girls)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Batepá
Ois, podem ver aqui copiando o link e colocando-o no vosso browser, ou clickando directamente no título do post.
Besos
http://tv1.rtp.pt/noticias/index.php?t=Filme-rodado-em-Sao-Tome.rtp&headline=20&visual=9&tm=4&article=213547
Besos
http://tv1.rtp.pt/noticias/index.php?t=Filme-rodado-em-Sao-Tome.rtp&headline=20&visual=9&tm=4&article=213547
