OSWALD DE ANDRADE’S THEATER: THE LITERARY FUNCTION AND THE HISTORICAL SERIES

Studies carried out so far allow us to observe important aspects regarding the transformation of the dramatic genre. They show how either traditional or new formal elements are assimilated or reworked by the authors in Modernism and in contemporary productions, with different meanings, transforming the dramatic genre in such a way that typical elements of the ancient tragic genre assume different meanings in the contemporary tragic drama. The same phenomenon can be identified in the elements of metatheater, which undergo displacements in the Vanguard Theater, defining new functions. This approach assumed by most contemporary cultural practices is celebrated as a creative possibility to renew the cultural matrixes; however, such practices are not new, and are found in the production of the poet, playwright and writer Oswald de Andrade. It is important to mention that even Oswald de Andrade revisited traditional sources, as observed by Gilberto Mendonça Teles (2009) when addressing the models of cultural interpretation in the current days. Although there are several studies on Oswald de Andrade’s works, focusing mainly on his prose and poetry, his theatrical texts are still poorly studied. Considering Oswald de Andrade's productions, his theatrical texts present procedures that testify his modernity in the capacity of anticipating changes, which are currently conceived as procedures and trends of contemporary poetics. This reflection is what is intended in the present text.