El teatro de los mulatos: las actrices de las Casas de Ópera luso-americanas en los siglos XVIII y XIX

Abstract

Opera and theatre historians often mention the decree issued by Queen Maria I of Portugal allegedly prohibiting women (actresses and singers) from publicly performing on stage in the kingdom during the last quarter of the eighteenth century. However, Portuguese-American opera-house impresarios and owners were probably never familiar with this ban or chose to disregard it, as various references to actresses active in permanent theatres at the end of the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries have recently been found. The present article aims to analyse the social status of these actresses and, in particular, the way in which opera impresarios acquired the human resources necessary to perform opera and comedy.