Miss Margarida's Way

Miss Margarida's Way is a satirical Brazilian play by Roberto Athayde (born 1949) [1].

(Original title: Apareceu a Margarida.)

The original text

Written in Portuguese as Apareceu a Margarida in 1973, it is a play set in what looks like a school classroom and is a searing drama that looks deeply into the heart of power. The play's cast typically consists of only two people: Miss Margarida, a school teacher, and a male student. This "student" often sits among the audience members, whom the "teacher" addresses and treats as if they were real school children.

The Portuguese play was banned, then censored in Brazil (the playwright's homeland).

Translations and adaptations

Translated onto English as Miss Margarida's Way by the author, it was first performed in the United States at the American Contemporary Theatre in San Francisco on 4 March 1975 and became sensation in New York, when played by Estelle Parsons under the author's direction in 1977/8. Published by Avon Books in 1979.

The play was translated into Afrikaans by Wim Vorster, title unknown.

Performance history in South Africa

THe English text performed as a Baxter Theatre production in 1981, directed by Robin Sanders, with Michelle du Toit as "Miss Margarida" and André Samuels as one of her students. Opened at the People's Space on 26 February 1981. Designer Jenny Gillis, stage manager Kathy Batho.