Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Theatre
Advisor
Jean Graham-Jones
Committee Members
Erika T. Lin
Peter Eckersall
Andrés Kalawski
Subject Categories
Acting | Latin American Languages and Societies | Latin American Literature | Performance Studies | Theatre History
Keywords
Latin American Theatre History, Colonial/Rupublican Transitional Era, Southern Cone Theatre, Circulation of theatre and performance, Theatrical Networks, Transnational Theatre, Circus
Abstract
This dissertation develops a historical analysis of the circulation of theatre and performance among the cities of Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago, and Valparaíso during the last decades of Spanish colonial rule and the first decades of post-colonial reorganization (1783- 1849). Current scholarship on the subject lacks a regional scope, instead emphasizing the study of theatre and performance within the framework of national traditions and establishing a division between the colonial and republican periods. To redress the shortcomings of nation-focused histories and to account for the various aspects involved in the performance of theatrical spectacles, this research examines the circulation among the main urban centers of the Latin American Southern Cone of intellectual ideas that framed those activities, the circulation of dramatic theatre practitioners and their practices, and the circulation of circus, the most popular performing genre during this period. To do so, this dissertation reassembles the networks produced by the circulation of theatre and performance during this time, which I propose is a distinct era characterized by the earliest expressions of professionalization in such activities. This dissertation posits that the continuities between the last three decades of colonial rule and the first three decades of republican government allow us to identify the period as the late-colonial/early republican transitional era. Furthermore, this dissertation hypothesizes that, given the intense circulation of theatre and performance throughout the region, it is possible to recognize a regional theatre and performance landscape in the Southern Cone. Thus, this dissertation articulates an alternative geography and periodization for the study of theatre and performance in the region, highlighting transnational connectivity, intercultural relations, and historical continuities among these four cities and between the late colonial and early republican periods.
Recommended Citation
Escalona San Martin, Fabian, "Circulation of Theatre and Performance in the Colonial/Republican Transitional Era: Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago, and Valparaíso, 1783–1849" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6837
Included in
Acting Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, Latin American Literature Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Theatre History Commons
