Censorship(s) and Contradictions: the 'Draw' (1971/72) of Witkiewicz's Play The Mother

Abstract

O ensaio propõe um estudo do dossiê publicado em 1972 acerca da proibição da peça "A Mãe" de Witkiewicz. This lecture proposes a critical study of the dossier published in 1972 along with José Palla e Carmo’s translation of Witkiewicz’ play The Mother, the performance of which in Lisbon would eventually be prohibited by the Censorship Commission. The play had been proposed by the dramatist Luiz Francisco Rebello, director of the Teatro Municipal de São Luís, in an attempt to renew Portuguese theatrical life. Appearing in the context of the political openness of Marcelo Caetano’s government («Primavera marcelista»), during which the contradictions of Portuguese society were exposed, this case leads to the conclusion that, far from being coherent, the practice of theatrical censorship, which implies the participation of several agents at different levels of cultural and political life, is not free from contradiction. It allows, as well, for the questioning of the limits of the very concept of censorship in the light of its specific expressions in time and space.