Roque Centurión Miranda

Roque Centurión Miranda (August 15, 1900, in Carapeguá – January 31, 1960, in Asunción) was a Paraguayan playwright, theater director and stage, radio and film actor. Enriched by a creative and enthusiastic group of young actors and playwrights including Luis Ruffinelli, Miguel Pecci Saavedra, Francisco Martín Barrios, Facundo Recalde, Benigno Villa and Arturo Alsina, Centurión Miranda is remembered as one of the true creators of the Paraguayan theatre. He began working as an actor. In 1926 he wrote his first play, Cupido sudando, a comedy in three acts, earning him critical acclaim after it was performed. Later, in 1932, in collaboration with Josefina Pla, he wrote Episodios chaqueños. His 1933 Guaraní-language drama Tuyú in three acts, which dealt with young Chaco blood spilled by Paraguayan soldiers, was a major success and is considered by critics to be the cornerstone of the Guaraní theatre.