Krapp´s Last Tape, Argentina and History

• Autores: Nudler, Alicia Clara
• Año de publicación: 2022
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: documento de conferencia
• Materia: Humanidades; Beckett; Teatro; Krapp´s Last Tape; Post-dictadura; Grupo Krapp; Humanidades
• Institución: Universidad Nacional de Río Negro

Fil: Nudler, Alicia Clara. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Río Negro; Argentina.
The conference subject, Lost Bodies, resonates in a deep and literal way in the recent history of my country, Argentina, where the last dictatorship (1976-1983) carried out a systematic plan to make thousands of opponents disappear by kidnapping and killing them. Argentinian theatre has worked to process this historic horror, and to deal with the past in terms of memory and absence. My paper addresses this, focusing on Beckett´s Krapp´s Last Tape, the subject of my doctoral thesis. Noting how Krapp obsessively listens to and argues with tapes of his own disembodied voice, recalling, in particular, his lost relationships with various women, I consider both Beckett’s text and several historic Spanish-language performances of the play in Argentina. I also examine the work of Buenos Aires-based ensemble, Grupo Krapp, named after Beckett´s character, examining resonances of the play under study, especially in their production Adonde van los muertos (Where deadmen go). I connect these performances with observations on struggles for human rights change in Argentina, including truth and reparations laws, rights for women including legalised abortion, ongoing feminist campaigns to eradicate violence against women, gender identity law, and rights for trans people in the work place.