The Theater of Wilberto Canton

Abstract

dividing the _aurge estates. Later, he attended the National University in Mexico City, from which he was graduated in 1947 with a degree in law. While a student, he became involved in political action, and in 1945 he was named chairman of the steering committee of the Congreso Continental de la Juventud which met that year in Mexico City. He also was active in the student strikes of 1948, eventually leading to the resignation of the university rector, Brito Foucher. In 1949 Cant6n went to Paris to study for a year at the Sorbonne under a fellowship granted him by the Instituto Frances de la America Latina. This not only afforded him an opportunity to perfect his French, but also brought him into close contact with European theater. Upon his return to Mexico, Cant6n decided to give up the law for a career in writing. To earn a living, he turned to journalism, writing for such newspapers as Excelsior, Novedades, and El Nacional, as well as for a number of magazines and literary reviews. In 1955 he was elected president of the Asociaci6n de Criticos de Teatro. For the following ten years he was associated with the theatrical section of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, first as assistant director of its drama school, then as head of public relations, and finally, as director of the theatrical section, a position he held until 1965. Since then, he has been earning his living as a journalist, in television, and in the theater. In his spare moments he continues to cultivate his