Brief History of Shakespeare in Argentina

FUNDACIÓN SHAKESPEARE ARGENTINA

HISTORY Brief History of Shakespeare in Argentina

Shakespeare in Argentina

Shakespeare in Argentina A Brief History

Shakespeare foresaw that his Art would transend the borders of Time and Space...

How many ages hence Shall this our lofty scene be acted over in States unborn and accents yet unknown!

JULIUS CAESAR, ACT III, SCENE 1

What was happening in South America in the 16th/17th Century?

The territory of Argentina was part of the Spanish Empire until Independence in 1816.

SHAKESPEARE'S TIMES SOUTH AMERICA / Argentina

1573 The founding of the City of Córdoba 1580 The second founding of the City of Buenos Aires 1613 The establishment of the University of Córdoba

EUROPE/England

1564 William Shakespeare born

1582 William Shakespeare Marries Anne Hathaway 1616 William Shakespeare died

The University of Córdoba, established in 1613 is the oldest in Argentina and one of the first universities established in the Americas.

(Harvard University was established in 1636)

ARGENTINA Two Hundred Years of History

1810 The May Revolution 1816 Independence

1853 Argentine Constitution

SHAKESPEARE IN ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA DISCOVERS SHAKESPEARE 1817 Vague mentions in various documents 1821 Luis Ambrosio Morante translates and stages Hamlet for the first time 1823 - 1825 Santiago Spencer Wilde translates Othello 1825 Romeo and Juliet staged ‘The 37 Generation’ (Echeverría, Gutierrez, Alberdi) reads and debates on Shakespeare.

Shakeapeare exercises great influence on romantic Argentinian writers.

1830 Esteban Echeverría named his poem dedicated to the willow tree 'imitación del Inglés'. (Imitation of the English Man).

The works of former Argentine President and author Sarmiento contain shakespearian epigraphs and quotations.

The 80's Generation’ The 80’s Generation’ reads, translates, studies and stages the work of Shakespeare.

Lucio V. Mansilla showed a complete admiration: “His work is one of my Bibles” 1879 Ernesto Rossi, the celebrated Italian actor, performs in Argentina. He gives a conference on Shakespeare at Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires as a guest of the Headmaster, José Manuel Estrada.

Joaquín V. Gonzalez translates Shakespeare’s Sonnet CXXX Ernesto Rossi

"And what can we say about Shakespeare? Who has penetrated deeper than him into the mysteries of the human heart? Who with more wisdom and profundity than him has known how to create those immortal characters which personify the passions in such a way that, if they hadn't sprung from his mind, man would not know himself so well? Not only could it be said that Shakespeare was not indifferent to anything that had to do with man, but also that he knew how much that concerned man, too."

Former Argentine President and author Bartolomé Mitre wrote these words in the Preface of his book 'Rimas' (1854).

"Milton & Shakespeare are the Himalayas & the Andes, the oceans of poetry, not in shape but in conception, in the sense of the beauty, of the philosophy of their characters. They are as those gigantic portions of our globe, eternal, everlasting, and from which future generations will drink love and beauty forever as we drink for eternity with pleasure the water which flows over the waterfalls of the Andean and Himalayan ranges."

Letter by Juan María Gutiérrez to Bartolomé Mitre (1871)

"And who could show us a spirit which has penetrated more deeply into the abyss of the human soul, leaving us with revelations which are more surprising than those of our own nature, than the admirable author of Hamlet and Macbeth?"

Pedro Goyena, (1871)

"Shakespeare's world is as big and multifaceted as the life that he breathes into his characters, varied as nature, fertile as love...".

Martín García Mérou, (1886)

"What is marvellous in Shakespeare's tragedies is that they are about everything. They are enchanted woods. In them, completely surrounded by nature, blows a breeze full of magic. Shakespeare is like heaven and earth. We believe him to be sad when it is we who are sad, happy when we ourselves are happy. It seems he shares all our feelings...".

Lucio V. Mansilla (1889)

THE XX & XXI CENTURIES

1900 Miguel Cané translates and writes a prologue for Henry IV 1904 Paul Groussac writes an essay on The Tempest and in 1924 publishes 'The Shakespeare Question’ 1927 Mariano de Vedia y Mitre publishes the first series of Shakespeare sonnets and in 1946 publishes Venus & Adonis

1950 The Argentine poet Enrique Santos Discépolo directed The Taming of the Shrew starring the famous actress Fanny Navarro at the Cervantes National Theatre.

The Argentine Director Enrique Santos Discepolo (2nd from right) with the cast.

President Perón and Evita at the opening night in 1950.

Cervantes National Theatre website production details.

In 1953, A Midsummer Night's Dream was staged at the Teatro Colón directed by Antonio Cunil Cabanellas.

1951-1955 Mujica Laínez translates 50 Shakespeare sonnets 1960 Jorge Luis Borges publishes ‘Everything and Nothing’ in 'El Hacedor'

1962

VIVIEN LEIGH PLAYS SHAKESPEARE IN BUENOS AIRES

Vivien Leigh stars in the Old Vic Company production of Twelfth Night and major scenes from Shakespeare in Buenos Aires.

1964 ARGENTINA CELEBRATES the IVth Centenary of his Birth

In 1964 Argentina paid a heartfelt homage to William Shakespeare.

Newspapers cuttings from La Nación y La Prensa, 23rd & 24th of April, 1964.

As their contribution to the commemoration, the Arts Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of the National University of La Plata publishes

Shakespeare en la Argentina

which includes studies by Raúl H. Castagnino, Juan Carlos Ghiano and Pedro Luis Barcia, with the latter also bringing out a critical compilation of the collection of texts about Shakespeare published in Argentina

Victoria Ocampo expresses great admiration for Shakespeare and, on 28th July, 1964 gives a lecture entitled 'Shakespeare or, What You Will' in the General San Martín Municipal Theatre. Her magazine Sur publishes two consecutive issues (289 and 290) in his honour. Dedicated entirely to Shakespeare, they are made up of contemporary Argentine and foreign contributions and of an anthology of famous reviews of Shakespeare. The selection of the texts was made by Jorge Luis Borges.

Victoria Ocampo

The Comedia Nacional Argentina, directed by Luisa Vehil, also pays homage to Shakespeare with the opening of the play As You Like It on 11th September 1964 in the General San Martín Municipal Theatre in the City of Buenos Aires. The production and direction of the play by Alberto de Zavalía.

The actress Antier & Luis Medina Castro playing As you like it.

A BUST OF SHAKESPEARE IN THE ROSEDAL

1967

2012

Bust of William Shakespeare by the sculptor José Fioravanti in Tres de Febrero Park, Buenos Aires.

Bust of William Shakespeare by the sculptor José Fioravanti.

1969 Miguel Angel Batistessa publishes ‘Oír con los Ojos’ 1995 Shakespeare Encounter in Argentina: the first national conference on comparative theatre is organised by the Rojas Cultural Centre.

1996 the university publishers Eudeba brings out the resulting research materials in ‘Peregrinaciones de Shakespeare en la Argentina’ (‘Shakespeare Pilgrimages in Argentina’) 1999 The first International Shakespeare Conference takes place in Argentina organized by the Instituto Superior del Profesorado Dr. Joaquín V. González.

At the end of the 90's, the director Miguel Guerberof formed the Compañía Shakespeare Buenos Aires and directed a number of Shakespeare's plays. Unfourtunately, in 2007 he died and the company disbanded.

The director Miguel Guerberof

SHAKESPEARE IN ARGENTINE OPERA & BALLET From the beginning of the 19th Century and running right up to the present, countless works by Shakespeare have been staged in Argentine opera and ballet productions.

SHAKESPEARE AT THE COLÓN THEATRE

OTHELLO, FALSTAFF, ROMEO Y JULIET & HAMLET OPERAS AT THE COLÓN

Source: Colón Theatre website.

The first Buenos Aires Shakespeare Festival takes place in February 2011.

Five productions of Hamlet are staged in Buenos Aires in September 2011.

Marcelo Savignone in Hamlet x Hamlet Hamlet starring Gabriela Toscano, directed by Carlos Rivas

Hamlet starring Mike Amigorena, directed by Juan Carlos Gené

Hamlet, el Señor de los cielos, directed by Rubén Pires.

Hamlet by Thomas Ostermeier at the Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires (FIBA)

Starting at the beginning of the 19th Century and running right up to the present, numerous works by Shakespeare - as well as works inspired by him - have been adapted and staged in Argentine theatres.

2011

CREATION OF THE FUNDACIÓN SHAKESPEARE ARGENTINA