As memórias do Sr. Penante: uma dramaturgia sobre o ator José de Lima Penante e o teatro paraense do século XIX

Abstract

This study aims to describe and reflect on the creative process of the play The Memories of Mr. Penante as a research space that values the memories of Pará’s performing arts and the actor José de Lima Penante. Through bibliographic and documentary research, as well as historiographical reflection, the study examines this process from the perspective of a researcher-playwright. The methodological pathway is divided into four stages: 1 – Bibliographic and documentary research; 2 – Analysis of collected data; 3 – Creative development of the play; and 4 – Presentation of the final work. Three key works serve as the investigative foundation, as they portray fragments of the artist Lima Penante's trajectory (Salles, 1994; 2000; Ávila, 2019). Crafting this historically biographical dramatic text was, in essence, an act of uncovering the traces and remnants of Lima Penante's history left in historical events and preserved in bibliographic and documentary sources (Magalhães, 2019). The characters he portrayed were one of the primary driving forces in constructing the dramatic narrative, considering the theme, plot, characters, setting, time, and dramatic actions as essential dramaturgical elements. In the play developed for this research, the protagonist represents the actor himself in the year 1892, the year of his death. His characters come to life to recount the memory of Pará’s first professional actor, who ventured beyond the state, as highlighted by Vicente Salles. The outcomes of this research process facilitated not only the creation of the play but also academic, performative, and pedagogical developments in theater. This study underscores the significance of historiographical research in Pará theater and the exploration of historical dramaturgy surrounding important figures who still require greater scholarly attention. The Memories of Mr. Penante is a theatrical work with the potential to inspire reflections, debates, studies, and cultural dissemination within the field of theater through this dramaturgical version and the possibilities it may generate in the future.