Rodolfo Usigli Centennial: An Interdisciplinary Commemoration

Abstract

FALL2006 179 Rodolfo Usigli Centennial:An Interdisciplinary Commemoration Ramón Layera Miami University in Oxford, Ohio held a series of interdisciplinary activities as part of the Rodolfo Usigli centennial celebration in the fall of 2005. The events included a semester-long library exhibit, a staged reading of Usigli’s signature play El gesticulador and an international symposium on contemporary Mexican theatre. Miami University was the logical site for this commemoration as it is the privileged home of the Rodolfo UsigliArchive in the Walter Havighurst Special Collections Library; furthermore, Miami’s centennial celebration was developed in concert with the Centro Nacional de Investigación Teatral Rodolfo Usigli (CITRU), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA) and Universidad Iberoamericana, which also sponsored separate events and exhibits in Mexico. The activities held on the Miami campus were the following: Library exhibit Starting in September the Walter Havighurst Special Collections Library held “Rodolfo Usigli in Mexican Literature and theArts,” a semesterlong exhibit of materials from the Usigli Archive, the definitive research collection relating to Usigli’s life and career. Accompanying the exhibit a website provided details about the archive and the materials that were on display.TheexhibitincludedbiographicalinformationanddetailsaboutUsigli’s life and career as playwright, theatre historian and educator and diplomat. It also provided links to visual and documentary materials from the Archive, including manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, posters and stage designs of productions of his plays. Special Collections also prepared a descriptive catalog with information about and images of the library exhibit. The catalog was made available to the public throughout the fall semester. Copies of the 180 LATINAMERICAN THEATRE REVIEW catalog of the exhibit can be obtained by writing to Janet Stuckey at:stuckejh@muohio.edu.Anonline version of the catalog is available from the library website: http:// usigli.lib. muohio.edu/archive.php. Upon the request of the CITRU, Special Collections agreed to prepare facsimile copies of the materials that were displayed at Miami University in Ohio. The materials were shipped to Mexico for display at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA) and at the CITRU in the Centro Nacional de las Artes (CENART) complex. Professor Octavio Rivera of the Universidad de las AméricasPuebla (UDLA) served as curator for the exhibit that was held at the INBA. He spent a week in Oxford working with the staff at Special Collections and he helped identify and prepare the materials that were sent to Mexico. Judith Sessions, Dean of University Libraries and Janet Stuckey, Head of Special Collections, both of Miami University, traveled to Mexico City and participated as invited guests in the inauguration of the Usigli commemorative exhibit that was organized at the INBA. The exhibit was also displayed at the campus of the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) and at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Professor José Luis Ibáñez, visiting resident director was the Featured Speaker at the general meeting of the Friends of the Miami University Libraries in November, 2005. The title of his lecture was: “Rodolfo Usigli: Playwright, Translator, Social Critic.” Staged reading of an Usigli play and guest director residency. The Department of Theatre and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Miami University hosted distinguished Mexican theatre director José Luis Ibáñez during a three-week residency. Prior to his arrival the Department of Theatre selected a cast, conducted preliminary rehearsals and made the necessary preparations for a public staged reading of Usigli’s Sabina Berman FALL2006 181 play The Impostor (English translation of El gesticulador) in Studio 88 at the Center for Performing Arts. Upon his arrival Señor Ibáñez assumed his role as director and he worked with the cast in preparation for the staged reading. Professor José Luis Ibáñez teaches acting, dramatic theory and composition at the School of Letters of the Universidad NacionalAutónoma de México (UNAM).With a distinguished career in professional and university theatre Ibáñez is recognized as one of Mexico’s most successful and accomplished contemporary directors. He is well-known for his work in musical comedies, but especially as director of classical and contemporary drama from Europe, Latin America and the United States...