Vol. VIII n° 66 dezembro de 2015 :: Download complete pdf file

Abstract: This article examines a production of Swedish playwright Sara Strindberg’s Anatomy of a Snowfall (Dissekering av ett snöfall),[1] staged by Bim Verdier in São Paulo, Brazil in 2015, in terms of the play’s proposals and the production’s relationship to several other plays staged in the city at the same time (two adaptations of Strindberg’s Miss Julie and one of Chekhov’s Three Sisters.) Issues dealt with involve gender as raised by the central character of the play in question, Queen Christina of Sweden, as well as formal staging strategies that determine the production of images and how these are received in the viewer’s imagination.

Keywords: Swedish drama, feminine gender, theatrical reception

The Bim Verdier production of Sara Stridberg’s play Anatomy of a Snowfall, which counted with support from cultural institutions in Sweden, premiered January 2015 at SESC Belenzinho.[2] However, we can begin our analysis by situating this production in context of several related projects that preceded it, as issues brought up in these other productions help us think about the piece in question.

The production was realized as part of an international exchange between Brazil and Sweden, with meetings and rehearsals held in both Uppsala and São Paulo. In the creative team, the director (who was also one of the actors) is of Swedish origin, but lives in Brazil. The other actors are Brazilian and the technical team (responsible for scenery, lighting, costumes and videos), Swedish.