The Dramaturgy of Space

In Ramón Griffero’s seminal work, The Dramaturgy of Space, the playwright and director describes his aesthetic philosophy and theoretical approach to theatrical creation, illustrating his theory through practical application in a series of exercises.

As well as touching upon some of Griffero’s own work, like Cinema utopia (1985), Tus deseos en fragmentos (2003), Fin del eclipse (2007) and El azar de la fiesta (1992), this book also reinforces the practicality of Griffero’s concepts through a series of online videos, breaking down each exercise and allowing readers to engage with the effects of his celebrated approach.

Published here in English for the first time, in a translation by the leading expert on Griffero, The Dramaturgy of Space reveals the internationally renowned Chilean artist’s thought process, and how his practice has influenced the theatrical, political, and social context, from the Pinochet dictatorship to the present day.

Ramón Griffero is a highly influential and radical Chilean playwright and director, currently Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Chile. His plays from the late 1980s to the present have been essential components in the resurgence of contemporary Chilean theatre. An openly gay former revolutionary, he founded the theatre company Teatro del Fin de Siglo and El Trolley, a cultural space for resistance to the Pinochet dictatorship. As a professor, he has given workshops and taught acting, voice and direction classes at the School of Theater of the University of Chile.

Adam Versényi is Chair of the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Senior Dramaturg for PlayMakers Repertory Company. He is the author of Ramón Griffero: Your Desires in Fragments and Other Plays, Theatre in Latin America: Religion, Politics, and Culture From Cortés to the 1980s and The Theatre of Sabina Berman: The Agony of Ecstasy and Other Plays, among others. He has written widely on Latin American theatre, U.S. Latino/a theatre, dramaturgy, theatre production, and theatrical translation. He is founder and editor of The Mercurian: A Theatrical Translation Review.