Brazilian playwright born in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, one of the founders of the Popular Center for Culture of the National Student Union - UNE, and of the Opinion Group. Son of playwright, radio broadcaster and filmmaker Oduvaldo Viana, he started his architecture course in São Paulo, SP, but abandoned his studies to dedicating himself to theater and since then he has participated in the most important theater groups of the time, such as Teatro Paulista do Estudante (1954-1955).
He debuted in theater (1955), acting as an actor in Lennox Robinson's play Rua da Igreja, and founded a theater course with Gianfrancesco Guarnieri (1956) and participated in Teatro de Arena (1955-1960). He created the Seminary of Dramaturgy (1957), with Augusto Boal, and in the same year, he wrote his first play, Chapetuba Futebol Clube. He definitely returned to Rio de Janeiro (1960), created the UNE Popular Center for Culture (1960-1963) and highlighted as an author of pieces analyzing the Brazilian political and social reality and criticizing the society of consumption.
He also worked as a theater and film actor and, as a television author, where he had great success with the comedy series A grande Família, on Rede Globo de Televisão (1973), with Armando Costa. He won the Molière Prize (1966) and the National Theater Service Prize (1975). Among his pieces are cited If the animal runs, it catches, if it stays the animal eats (1966), Mão na Luva (1966), Papa Highirte (1968), The long night of cristal (1971), Body to body (1971), In family (1972), Allegro desbum (1973) and Rasga Coração (1974), his last piece, completed in the bed of death.
Because of their political content, many of his plays are banned by the military regime's censorship (1964) and he died in Rio de Janeiro on July 16th (1974). He only lived 38 years, long enough to be recognized as one of the greatest names in the history of Brazilian dramaturgy, but he has not seen two of his main pieces, vetoed by the censors: the posthumously awarded Papa Highirte (1968), which is only edited eleven years later, and Rasga Coração (1974), immediately censored.
Source: http://www.dec.ufcg.edu.br/biografias/
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