From Hamlet to Ham-Let: Translation as a work of performance

Abstract

The work of Associação de Teat(r)o Oficina Uzyna Uzona begins with reading and is inseparable from literature. In 1967, Oficina staged O rei da vela, by Oswald de Andrade. From then on, the group resorted to anthropophagy, a critical proposal formulated by Andrade, to create an innovative scenic language, without leaving aside the culture from Brazil. In 1993, after a two-decade break, the Oficina returned with the play Ham-Let, based on Shakespeare’s classic. The anthropophagic translation made by Oficina is announced in the title. Hamlet, the main character’s name, is divided and read as two distinct words: “Ham” and “Let”. According to the play’s director, “ham” can be translated as an exaggerated actor, while “let” has the meaning of releasing or releasing. In this way, the hyphen indicates subversive appropriation: “Ham-Let: let the exaggerated actor be” (Oficina, 2001d). The translation declares, right from the title, that the theater group’s purpose goes beyond staging Hamlet in Portuguese. Ham-Let proposes the de-hierarchization of the Shakespearean text, considered “the most sacred monument in the entire history of theater” (Oficina, 2024). In view of this, the objective of our work is to investigate some strategies used by Oficina to bring to the stage an anthropophagous production, which begins with a careful reading and a creative translation, recognizing the value of the original text. But at the same time, the play establishes a dialogical movement through various scenic interventions, such as: carnivalization and parody.