Slavery as Part of the Scene

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relationship between theater and slavery in the Opera House of Vila Rica at the end of the eighteenth century from the point of view of its actors and actresses. Inaugurated in 1770 and currently considered the oldest active theater in Latin America, the Vila Rica Opera House was built by the Portuguese Colonel João de Souza Lisboa, one of the richest inhabitants of the capitania of Minas Gerais, which was formed by the gold rush. The theater, located in the heart of Portuguese America, aimed to have regular annual seasons and follow European models of repertoire. Additionally, the Opera House had a particularity: the performances were presented by Black and Mestizo artists, who performed in “whiteface.” This phenomenon appeared in other theaters and dominated colonial stages during the eighteenth century and at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Most of the artists were paid for each stage performance. Documents, however, reveal the violent labor relations between theater entrepreneurs and artists. Investigating the ways in which labor was organized in the Opera House provides insight into the influence of slavery on the Brazilian theater. This chapter shows aspects of the theater production of this period in a society defined by African slavery and the colonial system.