Geraldo Ferreira de Lima, Brasil
Oduvaldo Viana Filho and David Fennario: two Marxist playwrights

Although separated by many aspects there are some ties to bundle the Brazilian theatre and the Canadian theatre. One of these ties is plays dealing with working class characters. Until the late 50s there was almost no room for them on the stages of these two countries. Playwrights intending to present plays connected to worker class aspirations were not encouraged by mainstream theatres. However, in the 60s and 70s it started changing when two young playwrights, the Brazilian Oduvaldo Viana Filho and the Canadian David Fennario decided to bring the poor and their problems to the stage. As Marxist playwrights, both were determined to make plays strongly rooted in politics. In doing so they gave to their plays a new dimension. Taking into account their determination and courage to fight against the status quo, this paper tries do examine the role of these two dramatists in the development of the sort of drama they established in Brazil and Canada.