Brazilian Radical Theatre: Fabulation, Presence and Myth

The Brazilian Radical Theatre, TRB, stands for a theatrical poetics, a set of concepts and procedures which serve as references for the performer’s craft. The term radical has nothing to do with extremism nor does it stem from artistic self-sufficiency but rather derives from a deep delve into the phenomenon of theatricality. Its initial motivations have been developed since 1988 by the actor, playwright, director and professor Ricardo Guilherme. This book is the result of a completely revised and translated text published in 2014 in Brazil. It investigates the peculiar work of the performer through two plays created according to the TRB's working method: The Divine Comedy of Dante and Moacir and Bravíssimo. The technique of the radical performer is at the heart of the publication and is discussed with reference to the studies of Hans-Thies Lehmann on the Brechtian fable, Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht on the production of presence and Nicolas Bourriaud on altermodernism.