
Typed or electronic text with handwritten annotations
7 pages
Author(s)
Prólogo
Dating back to 1942, Prólogo (Prologue) was written in rhymed verse, and is made of three distinct parts; each is the introduction to the performance of the plays for the Teatro de Mestre Gil.
As was the rule for artistic works created under Salazar’s Estado Novo regime, the text was submitted to the general inspectorate of performances under the registration number 2729 and was approved by the inspector general on December 2, 1942. The censor asked for the character of the Intendente (Police officer) to be replaced by a Corregedor (Magistrate).
The text for Prólogo is kept in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (Torre do Tombo National Archive) in Lisbon, in the archives dedicated to censorship under Salazar’s regime. It stages the character of Dom Roberto, the hero from the popular tradition of Portuguese glove-puppet theatre.
Introduction to three plays performed at the Teatre de Mestre Gil
In the first part, Roberto talks to the Intendente (Police officer) about the beauty of the play that is about to start; he asks him for permission to perform it. The Intendente allows him to speak; he is thus symbolising censorship. Roberto introduces himself as a “child of the people” but also as “the grandson of Gil Vicente”, the famous Portuguese playwright (1465?-1536?); he requests a round of applause. In the second and third parts, Roberto simply reveals the title of the plays that are to be performed.
First performance
Teatro de Mestre Gil