Theory And Practice In Artaud And Carballido

Abstract

EMILIO CARBALLIDO IS GENERALLY CONCEDED to be the best of the contemporary playwrights in Mexico. He is certainly among the most prolific, and he is the most productive in regard to imaginative, sound theatrical pieces. Also, his work is recognized and appreciated. Scarcely a year has passed in the last fifteen in which Carballido has not been awarded an academic or critical prize for his work. In addition to his productivity, Carballido stands alone in another aspect, in his variety and diversity. Mexican theater has generally been a staid, traditional theater. The large body of works since its emergence in the late twenties and thirties has been realistic-examinations of the emerging middle class, popular reviews of the music hall variety, and a militantly self-conscious social theater. There are striking exceptions of course, especially recently. Carlos Solorzano, for instance, has been experimenting with a theater that uses dance and music to create a poetic reality, and Elena Garro's theater is almost completely theater of fantasy. Nevertheless, the total picture remains traditional and realistic.