The Rise and Fall of the Horse Dreamer in Sam Shepard’s Drama

  1. Ana Fernández-Caparrós Turina
Revista:
Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos

ISSN: 0210-6124

Año de publicación: 2016

Volumen: 38

Número: 1

Páginas: 109-127

Tipo: Artículo

Otras publicaciones en: Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos

Resumen

Varias obras teatrales escritas por Sam Shepard muestran la fascinación del dramaturgo por los caballos. Sin embargo, en ninguna de ellas hasta el estreno de Kicking a Dead Horse en el Abbey Theatre en 2007, había aparecido el cadáver de un caballo como el que domina la austera escenografía de este monólogo teatral. La impactante imagen teatral del caballo y de la figura del pateador son analizadas en este artículo comparándolas con aquella otra figura clave en la obra de Shepard a la que remiten, el soñador de caballos de Geography of a Horse Dreamer (1974). Más allá de la conexión más explícita entre estas dos obras, el hecho de que en ambos estrenos Stephen Rea interpretara el papel protagonista, la transformación en la representación del animal y en el modo en el que el personaje se relaciona con éste merecen atención crítica, pues se erigen en una metáfora de cómo ha evolucionado el estilo teatral de Shepard desde los setenta hasta el siglo XXI. El tropo del soñador de caballos está asociado a la libertad creativa en la obra de Shepard y, por ello, la pérdida de los sueños americanos que ambas obras dramatizan revela posiciones divergentes frente a la imaginación humana y frente al proceso creativo, pues el estilo de soñar refleja estilos diferentes de escritura.

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