Historia multicultural del teatro y las teatralidades en América Latina (review)

SPRING 2006 219 Villegas, Juan. Historia multicultural del teatro y las teatralidades en América Latina. BuenosAires: Ediciones Galerna, 2005: 320 p. The design of a satisfactory historical model has been the challenge for three or more generations of LatinAmerican theatre scholars, as each has addressed the selection of a body of work that best represents the systems of dramatic production as a form of cultural discourse and social practice. Villegas and other scholars have critiqued the elitist, predominantly Eurocentric character of the critical discourse most influential in the construction of the canon of dramatic literature. Villegas has also been instrumental in bridging the divide between North American academia and LatinAmerican research circles and in extending the scope of LatinAmerican theatre studies in NorthAmerica through a collaborative network of conferences and seminars and in his many years at the helm of Gestos. His latest book, evidence of this fruitful collegiality, examines the formation of an aesthetic and of social consciousness through theatrical practices of various sorts (called “theatricalities,” for want of a better word), addressing the absence/exclusion of extra- or para-canonical praxis (from ritual drama and the dramatic values of rituals, to theatre practice of primarily political and educational functions, to performance artists). In this welcome, lucid critique of earlier generational, thematic and historical approaches, Villegas builds on the most recent histories of Latin American theatre and performance by focusing more closely on the synchronic connections between dramatic literature written by and for the hegemonic sectors and the marginal cultures (e.g., subordinated ethnicities) or counter-hegemonic cultures (e.g., labor) that might have marked that literature. This book is structured around four categories of theatrical discourse: the hegemonic, the marginal, the displaced, and the subjugated or prohibited, all of which the author rethinks through a periodization of the “systems and subsystems of theatre and theatricality.” Detail is not lacking, and the comparatist will find numerous gems and useful distinctions throughout the book. There is a palpable presence throughout the book of specialists on countries, genres, even authors, in verbatim quotations that occasionally stand out. The reader might also be struck by the fact that the author makes short shrift of some dramatic works while dwelling extensively, in a few cases, on the plot or characters of others, which at times makes the book rather like a journey on a freighter with shifting ballast.Although tighter editing might have made for a more seamless read, it is a minor concern given the author’s skill in navigating between his overarching theoretical proposition and concrete specifics. This reviewer was disappointed by the absence of certain works that represent significant counter-hegemonic strains of writing within the modern canon – e.g.,Arriví’s 1950’s Puerto Rican trilogy about racial identity (of which Vejigantes 220 LATINAMERICAN THEATRE REVIEW is arguably the most famous), or Ramos’s Tembladera (1916), considered to be the first outstanding national drama in Cuba. Included instead are some very contemporary, lesser-known works representing trends whose importance may not meet the test of time. However, the very need to make the difficult selections ultimately emphasizes the scope and richness of the Latin American repertoires, as well as the difficulty of balancing a conventional canon of national classics with the introduction of newer counter-hegemonic voices. An undaunted handling of the challenge continues to inform the work of Villegas and of the research groups he has headed at the University of California at Irvine and the one headed by Osvaldo Pellettieri inArgentina (which published this volume as part of its Theatre Studies collection). Judith A. Weiss Mount Allison University ...