Denise Stoklos

Denise Stoklos (born 14 July 1950) is a Brazilian playwright and actress. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1993. She has written more than a dozen plays, most of them minimalist. Biography Denise Stoklos was born on 14 July 1950 in Irati, Paraná. Her father worked as a film projector and film poster designer, and her paternal grandfather emigrated to the country from Ukraine. In 1971, she obtained a licentiate in social sciences from the Federal University of Paraná and a baccalaureate in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. Her experiences with studying acrobatics, clown performance and mime in London (Her teachers were Eugenio Barba, Franki Anderson, and Desmond Jones respectively.)

In February 1987, she premiered her one-woman show Mary Stuart, inspired by the epoynmous Queen of Scots, at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in Manhattan. In 1993, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in playwriting. Since the 1990s, her work has shifted towards socio-political subject matter, as well as tributes to previous artists; her inspirations for such works include Jorge Luis Borges, Louise Bourgeois, Gertrude Stein, and Henry David Thoreau.

Analysis Diana Taylor and Roselyn Costantino called Stoklos "Brazil's most important solo performer", though they also noted that she works "at the periphery of the theatrical establishment" due to her limited acknowledgement in Brazilian theatrical histories. Stoklos self-describes her work as "essential theatre", in turn defining it as "that which has the minimum possible gestures, movements, words, wardrobe, scenery and accessories and effects. And which contains the maximum power of drama in itself". Stoklos also attributed her political critique to her intersectional experiences as a Global South woman. Hamlet in Irati (1988) Casa (1990) 500 Years: A Fax from Denise Stoklos to Christopher Columbus (1992) Amanhã Será Tarde (1994) Elogio (1995) Civil Disobedience (1997) Vozes Dissonantes (1999) I Do, I Undo, I Redo: Louise Bourgeoise (2000) Stone Calendar Acting Missa Leiga (1973, produced by (1974, directed by ) Sai de Mim Tinhoso (1976, written by Bertolt Brecht and directed by ) Um ponto de luz (1977, by ) Um Orgasmo Adulto Escapa do Zoológico (1983, directed by Antônio Abujamra and written by Dario Fo and Franca Rame)