The Sound Universe of Nelson Rodrigues: A Survey and Analysis of Music and Sound Effect Cues in Stage Directions

• Grant number: 25/08780-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Theatre
• Principal Investigator: Rafaella Uhiara
• Grantee: Gabriel Wander Maas da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola de Comunicações e Artes (ECA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/15032-4 - Sound archives of theater: implementation of a basis for research on the sound dimension in performing arts, AP.JP

Abstract

"Violent screeching sounds." "Extremely strange sounds of reversed tape." "A horn, of the 'honk-honk' variety."The worlds created by Nelson Rodrigues are composed of striking phrases, outdated Rio de Janeiro slang, and stage directions that describe curious soundscapes. However, Rodrigues' work is most often examined through the lens of staging, set design, lighting, acting, and dramaturgy in academic theses, articles, and dissertations, or in reference works such as those by Sábato Magaldi-often relegating the sonic elements to a peripheral role.With this in mind, this project aims to listen closely to the sounds evoked by Nelson Rodrigues' texts by analyzing the sound-related stage directions-those that indicate the start of music, sound effects, choral moments, or silence. The study will catalogue and classify all such sonic cues across his seventeen plays. Special attention will then be paid to mediated sounds-those reproduced through devices such as radios, microphones, or loudspeakers.To support this analysis, the project will draw upon scholarly literature on Rodrigues' oeuvre and on sound in theater studies, seeking to understand the playwright's sonic imagination and how it shapes the worlds he created.The goal is to propose an analysis of the sound dimension of Nelson Rodrigues' theater as a way to open new perspectives on his dramaturgy, while also laying the groundwork for future research on this often-overlooked aspect of one of Brazil's most influential playwrights-an artist who lived through a period of significant technological and auditory transformation, in both cities and theaters. For this reason, his stories should not only be read and seen, but also heard.