Tablado e Palanque – A formação da categoria profissional dos artistas no Rio de Janeiro (1918 – 1945)

Abstract

This work aims to study the transformation of the body of artists from Rio de Janeiro in a labor category. The time limits established for this study are 1918, year in which the House of Artists was founded and 1945, last date of publication of the statute of the Artists Union produced during the Vargas government. Thinking about the professionalization of artists and their labor organization has a lot to do with the process of industrialization and growth of the entertainment industry in the city, that deepened the differences between the worker-artist and artist-entrepreneur (who was an artist as well as the owner of the company). It is very important for the construction of this work to reflect on the building up of the Union that represented the category and its links with the government. Another important point is the category description. In a quantitative analysis, it was possible to trace the profile of the artists who worked in Rio de Janeiro, according to race, gender, marital status and education, as well as their workspaces (theatrical companies, circuses, theaters and radios); and the categories in which the profession of artist was subdivided (dancers, actors, dancers, singers, circus etc.) Therefore, it became possible to conclude, through the intersection of information, that some specialties were most prestigious and offered greater job security than others.