Theatrical Manifestations on the Scenic Horizon of Buenos Aires

Abstract

This article provides readers with an insightful overview of the vibrant theatre scene in Buenos Aires, structured as a brief two-part tour. The first part features a variety of works that explore diverse themes and formats, while the second part examines the networks through which these productions are shared. This approach offers a glimpse into the different types of theatres and audiences that are integral to the city’s dynamic landscape. Despite the challenges and tensions that arise, Buenos Aires remains a space for dialogue, connection, and artistic expression. Although the aforementioned works belong to the 2024 season, many of them are still on the bill.

How could a series of brief fragments, vague and underspecified, be used to represent the vast and heterogeneous metropolis of contemporary Buenos Aires? After much thought, we concluded that a single image would suffice. Thus, we chose Bandera by Sergio Avello,^[1] a light installation whose particularity is that it is activated in segments. Fluorescent tubes are sky blue and white, like the colors of the Argentine flag, and they light up and turn off intermittently. According to the artist, this intermittence can “visually and masterly synthesize the impotence, the cycles of ‘on and off’ that our country experiences,” and “suggests the economic and social problems present in many countries. Hence it resonates as a metaphor of a historical moment” (Interview with Rosenberg).

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Struggling to maintain stability, Avello is represented by a flag which symbolizes not only the country but also the complex idea of the Argentine, highlighting and questioning such an ideal. With reference to this metaphorical banner, we aim to explore these scenic fragments by first examining the foundational works and then exploring the spaces they occupy and the pathways they traverse.

About Performances

Raise the Voice through the Theatre

In the city centre, in a small emblematic theatre of Buenos Aires known as “el Payró” a billboard announces the performance of Potestad,written by the renowned playwright and actor Eduardo ‘Tato’ Pavlovsky (1933-2015). The return of this decisive Argentine drama was brought about by another local leading figure, Norman Briski. “Potestad is a work that was created during the era of the dictatorship, when its author and I were exiled. “I think Tato had no perspective on what this work would be in time,” recalls Briski, director of this production (Irázabal, interview).

From Pavlovsky’s perspective this work has emerged to address a dark part of Argentine history, which the author labels as a “monstrosity,” a term he uses to depict “the phenomenon of child abductions^[2] in Argentina perpetrated by the dictatorship” (Pavlovsky 138).

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The story is set from the perpetuator’s point of view, which makes it even more disturbing. Briski believes that the restoration of this work, first released in 1985, is a way of speaking out. As he says, “I prefer to let the work speak for me and not discuss it in the media […]. Today I feel that Potestadis relevant in ways that surpass its initial premiere” (Pavlovsky 138). In the current political scenario of Argentina,^[3] Pavlovsky’s work, whose first version was directed by Briski himself, resurrects the memory of a brutal truth whose ghosts continue to haunt Argentine society.

Special mention should be made of the Payró theatre, whose website currently contains a phrase that defines the hall’s identity: “An independent, non-governmental, non-commercial entity.” The theatre was created in 1952 by the notable group of Los Independientes. At that time, the members of the group rebuilt the theatre with their own resources; today it serves as a definitive reference point in Argentine theatre.

The Staging of Identity

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The latest stage project of Lola Arias, Los días afuera, had its starting point five years ago in a theatre and circus workshop facilitated by the director in Ezeiza prison. This new project is much more controversial than the other projects she has done, including the Falklands, Minefield. As she says, “I think many people will be upset, they will be disturbed, because they don’t want to hear these stories” (in Gomez). These are the stories of six people who recently regained their freedom.

These people, Yoseli, Paulita, Carla, Estefanía, Noelia and Ignacio, share their life stories, each reflecting a perspective on diversity. Their stories reflect the expectations, fears, and challenges they experience from stepping outside and leaving behind confinement. This process of growth unfolds on the stage of the Alvear Theatre, part of Buenos Aires’ Theatrical Complex, where this hybrid musical proposal is presented.

In this scenario, a car provides a space where specific events are enacted, but it also generates other broader meanings; the car as such implies movement, the possibility of moving and going somewhere else. Performers who enter and leave the space of the car, who travel and maintain dialogues within it, are seeking to move themselves. They try to advance as far as they can, seeking the path of a different life.

As Arias explains, “For many of them, this is their first ‘trabajo en blanco’ (formal employment). That recognition empowers them; they can see their lives with a future” (in Haimovichi). This project has opened the possibility that they might be participating members in a certain social network, thus foregrounding the bonds that are enabled through art. Lola clarifies that the performance aimed to create “an imperfect musical, vulnerable with real people and bodies” (Arias in Gómez).

This musical is fed by the memory of each person who performs it, but these individual testimonies take on a choral dimension in the scene, as the stories do not remain in the past, but instead give rise to questions about the present and the future.

Los días afuera is a theatrical version, and as such, differs from the film released at the Berlinale (2024) under the title of Reas. Both are part of the unique documentary project of Arias aimed at inventing, through imagination, possible futures.

Witness of Violence Takes Body on Stage

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On March 24, 1978, in the middle of the night, four men escaped from the clandestine detention centre known as “Mansión Seré” located in Gran Buenos Aires. One of them was Guillermo Fernández, who testified about these events, including his kidnapping in 1976 and his escape during the trial of the military juntas held in 1985.

Seré‘s performance vividly brings to life Fernández’s testimony, bridging the past and present through a blend of documentary sound and fictional action. In the staging process, sound, voice, and speech have gained particular significance. Delgado Tymruk, the performance’s protagonist, has focused on incorporating this testimony into both the dramaturgy and audio editing, aiming to create a cohesive character that merges his physical presence with Fernández’s own voice. The authenticity of the experience emerges through this lodged voice within the actor, mediated by his act of representation.

As the authors explain, the viewers will see a body taken by the voices of that testimony that will circuit and short-circuit with the story. Seré‘s creators describe it as an “urgent and provisional proposal,” emphasizing the need for timely action: “We must refresh our collective memory before the eraser of ‘hyperinformation’ wipes away all traces of recent history.”^[4]

We know the importance of memory as an essential element for individual or group identity, but we also know that the domain of memory is not neutral; rather, it is a place where difficult struggles take place for the survival of recollection and tradition.

The work is entitled Seré, the name of the detention centre, but in Spanish “seré” is also the first person of the future simple verb to be; this question, which is raised at the beginning of the show, renders the meaning of the title more complex by overlapping two different senses: the name of a terrifying place and the affirmation of a future in spite of that ignominious past.

The direction and dramaturgy of the play, which premiered in March 2024, were in charge by Lautaro Delgado Tymruk and Sofía Brito. The performance was showing at the Teatro del Pueblo, a historic space created in 1930 and associated with the beginnings of the Independent Theatre, the headquarters of which are located in the vicinity of Almagro.

The Power of Water

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Sisters Maria and Paula Marull, an effective creative duo, have been producing remarkably successful works that have survived over time. In fact, three of their projects are currently being staged. Their most recent work, Lo que el río hace, is being staged in the Astros, a commercial theatre located in the city centre, on Corrientes Avenue, which is a sort of ‘local Broadway’.

The work that has been awarded in Spain and Argentina is directed jointly by these twin sisters who also act in the play; their physical resemblance facilitates various dramatic solutions such as alternating on stage to play or double the main character. They also collaborated on the script. The story, narrated with a comedic touch, follows the protagonist’s return to her childhood village after her father’s death. Nothing is as she remembers, yet the river in the village raises questions that lead her to reevaluate her identity, the significance of her memories, and her past experiences.

This journey allows her to reclaim a part of her subjectivity that had been suppressed, giving her the opportunity to affirm her sense of self and reconsider her future. The play alludes to a different geographical location, a province on the Argentine coast known for its landscape, regional expressions, humor, and linguistic nuances. The laughter of the audience, encouraged by the performers, serves as a chorus that accompanies the work’s progression.

In May 2024, the Marull sisters issued a special invitation to twins and look-alikes of all ages to attend a performance of Lo que el río hace. As a result, 100 sets of twins gathered in the theatre. At the conclusion of the performance, many of them joined the authors on stage, creating a live showcase of their similarities within the theatrical context.

Lo que el río hace (What the river does), a show that is regularly attended by 500 spectators, was part of Hybrid Modes, a project generated by the Theatre Complex of the City of Buenos Aires during the pandemic.

Memory in Dance and Spectators in Transit

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Juego del Tiempo, by Gerardo Litvak and Argentine dance pioneer Margarita Bali, explores the first-person relationship that Bali has maintained with the artistic history of Argentina, starting from her own body as an archive. As the two artists explain in the hand program: “We worked with the artist on stage, putting into dialogue the dancer, choreographer and visual artist with their artistic heritage,” and have investigated both “in their memories as well as in their forgetfulness.”

During the performance, personal memory is conveyed through the projection of a series of remarkable images from Bali’s artistic collection, as well as the dance performances that Bali herself performs on stage. She has also created both the choreography and the videos that appear in the production. Margarita Bali, who will soon celebrate her 81st birthday, has thus challenged the ageist assumption that dancers should retire at the age of 40.

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Sobre sí mismois a multidisciplinary project by Melisa Zulberti in which the artistic expressions of movement, music and live video interact. The work was developed within the framework of the Temporada Alta project of the Proa Foundation in 2023. The Foundation, located in front of the Riachuelo, in the popular neighborhood of La Boca, has a fascinating history. Hence, a major artistic goal was to work within the area surrounding the Foundation environment to create an unpublished artwork.

Zulberti explored the context by focusing on the nearby river, contemplating its incessant coming and going, and also foregrounded the local immigrants who lived in the area. He thought of the work as a transit platform driven not by a mechanical motor, but rather by the energy of the dancers themselves. Some of the dancers represented the process of being in transit and thus extended the initial sense of the project.

The stage setting is composed of three turntables that respond to the movement of the dancers who perform on their surfaces. The plates contain an internal circuit of cameras that offer a new point of view for the viewer from the inside of the work, bringing new poetic discourses through an audiovisual language. The performance, initially inspired by an urban memory, was presented by the artist at the Borges Cultural Centre in May 2024, before he left for Italy to represent Argentina at the 2024 Biennale di Danza di Venezia.

While all theatrical works are generally part of the captivating “machinery of memory,” as Marvin Carlson nicely argues, the performances discussed, despite their differences, share a common focus on memory as the central theme of their narratives, each approaching it from distinct aesthetic and ideological perspectives.

Games of Space

Buenos Aires is well known for its vibrant and diverse theatrical community, featuring state theatres, commercial venues, and small independent theatres that collectively enrich the dynamic cultural landscape. Scattered throughout the city, these theatres create a distinctive artistic presence that establishes Buenos Aires as a major theatrical capital in the region. The connections, pathways, and interactions among these theatres contribute to the city’s cultural narrative, which has deep historical ties to theatre and encompasses significant social and political dimensions. These connections should be revisited in light of contemporary challenges.

In recent times, international exchange has increased, particularly with Spain. This reflects the current dynamics of global trends, as artists seek new avenues to enter international markets and gain recognition for their work. Additionally, local challenges are driving artists to pursue better opportunities abroad.

Gonzalo Pérez, president of ARTEI, an association of more than 100 theatres, explains that the main challenge for these theatres today is to survive in the midst of economic recession. The rise in tariffs and rent as well as delays in payment of state sponsored subsidies intensifies the challenge. Although these theatres have a very loyal audience, their affluence has decreased, as has the possibility of offering new productions.^[5] Nevertheless, recent estimates suggest that at the present time, 300 stage productions are sponsored by this theatrical circuit, and thus confirm its vitality and resilience.

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Gonzalo Pérez, who has managed a small theatre for ten years, is openly proud of his organizational work, having devoted a great deal of time and completed a substantial amount of work that is not compensated monetarily.

The ARTEI theatres are included as part of the independent theatre, a movement which began in 1930; these theatres have since continued to evolve, functioning as an icon of the Argentine theatre. Although times have changed and perspectives on the historical ideology of this movement have shifted, something remains unchanged: according to Gonzalo, “the essential criterion is that the works being produced, the aesthetics of those works, do not respond to the standards of commercial theatre”(Tahan, Interview).^[6]

The prominent figures in Argentine theatre, spanning acting, dramaturgy, direction, and scenography, have their roots in independent theatre, from its inception to today. This is where the mentors have emerged, shaping generations of theatre professionals in Argentina.

The plays discussed in this article are situated within the city’s theatrical landscape and engage with the public through various circuits, representing just a few of the different modes of production, circulation, and consumption. Los Días Afuera and El juego del tiempo are staged in official theatres, while Potestad and Seré originate from independent spaces. In contrast, Lo que elrío hace is performed in a commercial theatre, and Acerca de sí mismo in a cultural centre.

Important cultural centres are abundant in Buenos Aires. Their contributions extend beyond the vast theatrical community of the metropolis, and include performances staged in unconventional settings such as a private house, a clothing business, the locker room of a court, a select group of bars and clubs, and other non-traditional locations. In these performances, both the site and the spectator’s participation play a fundamental role.

These circuits are not the only ones in the theatre community, of course, but they are special in that they are not cut off from each other; rather, they actively cooperate and interact with each other. Some works that were part of the repertoire of independent theatres or so-called official theatre are active in the commercial circuit, and many actors, directors and technicians work interchangeably in these circuits.

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In the heart of the city, various theatrical events unfold, including the demonstrations that occurred in early 2024 in Buenos Aires and across the country. The artistic community and every day citizens rallied together to protest a bill proposed by the new national government that aimed to eliminate the National Institute of Theatre (INT) and revoke the National Theatre Law, echoing similar concerns that had been expressed in other cultural sectors. Throughout the summer, numerous marches and protests were organized by diverse social and political groups.

Live With Eyes Open

At the present time, there is a unique intersection between such living manifestations and the artistic community, highlighted by the current exhibition at MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) by the duo Mondongo entitled MANIFESTACIÓN.

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The iconic piece from 1934 Manifestación, by Antonio Berni, is showcased alongside Mondongo’s work,^[7] which is a recognition of Berni’s work. Also featured is Villa II (2023), a collage and plasticine painting through which Mondongo emphasizes the precarious architecture of Latin America. This intriguing and beautiful work effectively merges social commitment with aesthetic concern.

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Berni’s Manifestación features a sign which proclaims “Bread and Work,”^[8] a slogan that resonates with today’s social movements. In response to “a reality that shatters the senses,” as Berni described it, artists more than ever must now “live with their eyes open.”

But we would also like to offer another perspective to this fragmentary account of theatre in Buenos Aires, which originates from La escultura de los sueños by the famous Argentine artist Marta Minujín. This work is a large-scale, colourful display of inflatable mattresses installed in July on an esplanade in the city centre. The essence of the work is summarized by the caption which accompanies it: Whisper hopes and desires inside the sculpture and have a minute of peace, beauty and color.

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Endnotes

^[1] Sergio Avello, Argentine artist (1964-2024) is the author of Bandera, a work dating from 2003. That year marks the culmination of a great crisis that began at the end of 2001 in Argentina and shook the foundations of the country. The work was presented at the Mercosur Biennial.

^[2] In July 2023, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo announced the return of grandson number 133. “More than 300 men and women around the age of 45, born between 1975 and 1983, are still being sought.” Argentina.gob.ar/ Secretariat of Human Rights, July 28, 2023.

^[3] A delegation of deputies from the ruling party visited Astiz and other individuals imprisoned in Ezeiza for crimes against humanity. This surprising news sparked criticism, controversy, and strong reactions from across the political and institutional spectrum.

^[4] Teatro: Seré. Accessed June 25, 2024.

^[5] 45% of these rooms pay rent. The subsidies granted by the state, which in 2024 were considerably delayed with the change in government management, cover between 20 and 30 percent of annual expenses. Its sources of income are generated largely from funds collected at the box office and from courses and workshops taught, according to Gonzalo Pérez, whose 40-seat room is in the Barrio del Once, a neighbourhood with a large presence of the Jewish community.

^[6] Interview with Carlos Pérez, conducted by H. Tahan Ferreyra on the occasion of this article. July, 2024.

^[7] Both Manifestations were currently on display as mirrors in room I of the Malba. The protagonists in Berni’s work were workers from a refinery in Rosario, while Mondongo’s piece features a more diverse social composition, with variations in time and space. His characters encompass a range of ages and backgrounds, including artists and individuals connected to the authors. This contemporary manifestation is set in the Plaza de Mayo area of Buenos Aires, a symbolic site for the country’s political life and social protest.

^[8] The phrase also refers to another iconic work: Without Bread and Without Work (1893) by the Argentine painter Ernesto de La Cárcova (1866-1927), which has been reinvented and remixed by renowned contemporary Argentine painters. This work of the nineteenth century is connected to the work of Berni in the twentieth century and with that of MONDONGO in the twenty-first century: these three creative artists are tightly bound by the common experience, in different eras, of a deeply painful reality of poverty and exclusion.

References

Cruz, Alejandro.“Sobre Lola Arias.” La Nación, Espectáculos, Bs. As. 05/17/2024.

Gómez, Laura. “Lola Arias. Un musical vulnerable.” Cultura y Espectáculos / Página 12, 23/05/2024.

Haimovichi, Laura. “Sobre LolaArias.” Soy. Supplement. Diario Página 12, 22/05/2024.

Irázabal, Federico. Interview with Norman Briski. La Nación, Espectáculos, 31/05/2024.

Rosenberg Adriana. Interview with Sergio Avello. In Fundación Proa’s press kit on the occasion of the Argentine art exhibition Conjeturas, Bs.As., August 2023.

Pavlovsky, Eduardo. Potestad. Fundamentos, 1989.

Tahan, Ferreyra Halima. Conversation with Carlos Pérez, 2024.