THIS ESSAY aims to draw a profile of Machado de Assis as a reader and critic of theatrical works. We begin by observing Assis in the theatrical milieu of the 1850s and 1860s, the time of the onslaught between the Romantic and Realist aesthetics in the stages of Rio de Janeiro. We then view his extensive production as journalist, when he distinguished himself as a drama critic and writer of feuilletons, and also his activity as censor of the Brazilian Drama Conservatoire, a post he held for a short period. By following Assis' intellectual journey during his literary youth, we have attempted to analyze, understand and explain his ideas toward the dramatic arts in general and the Brazilian theater in particular.
