Feminist Theatre Translation in Practice: Readings, Dialogue and Collaboration

This event presents a performance of an extract from Terrorismo Emocional by Uruguayan dramatist Josefina Trías, performed by the playwright who joins us from Uruguay. It is followed by a dramatized reading of the same extract in English in a new translation by Sophie Stevens, directed by Fran Olivares.

In Terrorismo Emocional (Emotional Intelligence), the protagonist Clara, a Spanish teacher in her early thirties, has recently separated from her partner. When she returns to live with her parents, she seeks to make sense of her experience and her identity in the only way that she knows how: through a process of creative writing. Written over four seasons, the play is a funny, frank and moving insight into the intertwined processes of writing and defining one’s identity in a world of body-shaming, activism/slacktivism and social media. Clara asks ‘what happens if we manipulate language so that our identity is imagined and formed through our art?’

The author performs in Spanish and has performed the play throughout Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. The play has received prestigious awards from the National Arts Institute and Ministry of Education and Culture in Uruguay. The English extract is performed by a UK-based professional actor and directed by London-based Chilean theatre director Fran Olivares who has extensive experience of directing new translations. 

Participants: Josefina Trías (playwright); Marisol Spensieri (actor); Fran Olivares Medina (director); Anna Torre (interpreter); Sophie Stevens (ILCS/CLACS) and Francesca Cricelli (ILCS/CCWW).

This event is organised by the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS).

Event date: 21 May 2024