Helio Eichbauer: a Brazilian student in Prague

ABSTRACT Helio Eichbauer (1941–2018) is recognized as one of the main innovators of scenography in Brazil, responsible for many of the iconic projects of modern Brazilian theatre, and a mentor to a legion of theatrical artists. His work spanned several generations of theatre and music artists, collaborating with pioneers of Brazilian modern theatre in the twentieth century as well as experimental and established theatre creators of the first decades of the twenty-first century. Working in collaboration with artists like Augusto Boal, Caetano Veloso, José Celso Martinez Corrêa and Chico Buarque, among many others, Helio Eichbauer is recognized for his authorial and metaphorical scenographic language for hundreds of theatrical productions and music concerts. Eichbauer studied scenography between 1963 and 1966 with Professor Josef Svoboda, who created a study plan especially for him. This article presents the story of the first foreign student of the pre-eminent Czech scenographer, from his first encounter with Svoboda’s work at an exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. It explores Svoboda’s teaching methodology and artistic exercises, and the projects Eichbauer completed as a student. All the information presented here comes from publications written by Eichbauer, as well as interviews and stories told by him to the author over the course of 15 years.