Griselda Gambaro (born 1928 in Argentina), one of Latin America's most prolific and important playwrights, scrutinizes the role of theatre and theatricality in Argentina's tumultuous recent history. Her plays of the 1960s, such as The Walls (1963), Siamese Twins (1965) and The Camp (1967), already depict the escalation of political violence that became the grim reality of Argentina's 'Dirty War' (1976-83). The bizarre environments of victims and victimizers, abductions and concentration camps, foretell the atrocities to come. In the 1970s, major works such as Information for Foreigners (1972) and Strip (1974, included here), explore the role of the population living in a criminal society. The audience becomes the main protagonist in Information for Foreigners - not the population of torturers and torture victims of earlier plays, but the audience of innocent by-standers, complicitous onlookers, and invisible members of the silent majority who had to make daily decisions about how to act and react to the brutality around them. Her work of the 1980s, such as Decir Sí (Saying Yes, 1981), and Antígona Furiosa (1986) marks the population's gradual shift from passive participant to furious resistance. In the 1990s, plays such as Atando cabos (1991, Tying Loose Ends) and Es necesario entender un poco (1995, It Important to Understand a Little), show people trying to deal with the traumatic aftershocks of their recent experience. Throughout her career, Griselda Gambaro has been in tune with the political climate in her country. When she went into exile in Spain during the 'Dirty War,' she gave up writing theatre. She needed her audience, but no more than her audience needed her. Gambaro is the most celebrated playwright in Argentina. Her works are produced in all the major theatres, and awarded every conceivable prize. She has won dozens of national awards. She is also recognized internationally as Argentina's most important living playwright. Her works have been translated into English, French, Italian and staged in theatres such as Royal Court, Theatre de la Source, and Lugano Teatro in Europe. In 1982, she was awarded a Guggenheim. For translations of The Walls, Information for Foreigners, and Antígona furiosa, see Marguerite Feitlowitz' Information for Foreigners: Three Plays by Griselda Gambaro. Translations of other plays have appeared in various collections (see Selected Bibliography).

Begin this path: Griselda Gambaro (Argentina)

1. Strip
2. Videos (Plays and Performances)
3. Other Resources
4. Bibliography

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