Jorge Andrade

Jorge Andrade (born April 21, 1922, Barretos, Brazil—died March 13, 1984, São Paulo) was one of the most powerful playwrights within the wave of theatrical renewal that began in Brazil just after 1950.

After staging O faqueiro de prata (“The Silver Cutlery”) and O telescópio (“The Telescope”) in 1954, Andrade came even more forcefully to public attention in 1955 with A moratória (“The Moratorium”). Among his later plays, Pedreira das almas (1958; “Quarry of the Souls”) and Rasto atrás (1967; “The Road Back”) are the strongest in terms of dramatic effect. Among his favourite staging techniques was the use of a two-level stage to depict two time periods within the lives of the same group of protagonists.

Andrade’s works reflect the rural-to-urban population shift in southern Brazil, the rise and fall of the one-crop coffee economy, and the drama of individuals trying to come to terms with themselves, their backgrounds, and their changing environment. In Vereda da salvação (1965; “The Path of Salvation”), he vividly depicted the delirium and destruction of a group of religious mystics at the hands of the authorities.

In 1970 Andrade won the Molière Prize for the three-play cycle Marta, A árvore (“The Tree”), and O relógio (“The Watch”). In the 1970s Andrade turned to writing scripts for television.