{"id":3508,"date":"2024-06-29T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-29T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.philippeenquin.net\/?p=3508"},"modified":"2024-09-19T11:37:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T09:37:18","slug":"barracas-community-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philippeenquin.net\/en\/chroniques-de-buenos-aires\/theatre-communautaire-de-barracas\/","title":{"rendered":"Barracas Community Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

I first learned about the Barracas theater from an article in the newspaper El Pa\u00eds entitled \" Inclusive community theater in Buenos Aires, South America's most theatrical city<\/strong> \" (15\/12\/2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play in question is \"El casamiento de Anita y Mirko\", which has been performed on stage for over 20 years and in which all the actors and actresses are neighbors from the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With Anita and Mirko, March 25, 2023<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I got in touch with them, they said \"dale\" (OK) and I was able to take part in the preparation and execution of the wedding party. I had a delightful time that will remain engraved in my memory. It's true that at no point did I feel like I was watching a play: I was at a meeting of neighbors, at a wedding party. That's the magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Anita and Mirko before taking to the stage. Taffi\u00e9, French for \"party<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Corina Busquiazo and Ricardo Talento are part of the founding group of Circuito Cultural Barracas, which produced, among other works, \"El casamiento de Anita y Mirko\" (The Wedding of Anita and Mirko).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community theater doesn't count with academic training, scholarships or diplomas. It's learned as you go along, perfecting lines and postures in the dance. The laughter is real. The tears, certainly too. Politics and the political coexist on stage. Rites, the ritual of each performance, glances, complicities, life in society.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corina tells me:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"When the military dictatorship ended (Argentina, 1983), our idea was to form a street theater group. We created a theater group with graduates from the Avellaneda institute, called 'Las Calandracas'. We presented our first show 35 years ago, playing in Lezama Park.\"<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Ricardo Talento<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How did the idea for the wedding room come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"The birth of the Barracas theater comes at a key moment in Argentina's socio-economic context: the year 2001.\"<\/p>\nRicardo<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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*In December 2001, an economic, political, social and institutional crisis that had begun months earlier reached a critical point. This manifested itself severely with the imposition of restrictions on access to money, known as the \"corralito\", and the state of siege decreed by the then president, Fernando de la R\u00faa.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"When we first called in the neighbors, they arrived with a look of concern in their eyes. Many were unemployed or, in the best of cases, didn't have enough money to make ends meet. The convocation was based on the need for good news, for how to meet each other as people and as a community. This is how the idea for the play \"What happens if we are the protagonists of a party?\" began to develop. The party, not as a hysterical demonstration, but as a meeting, a community celebration, a place of integration. A meeting where all ages are present and all people want to come, that there's a place for everyone, that everyone can participate, laugh, put on make-up, that we're all one family. And what's the only occasion when we can bring together all generations, have fun, eat and dance together? A wedding party, of course! And the old-fashioned way, because nowadays everything is programmed, a deadly bore. That's the great success of this play, which doesn't have dramatic depth, but conveys a very strong message. And there's something else here: you'll notice that there's nothing black in this theater, there's no black canvas, which is contrary to the theater where everything is black boxes. Black is something Euro-centric; in Latin America you see the flags of indigenous peoples and there's no black. Why do we have to use black as something neutral?\"<\/p>\nRicardo<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
The dance of the father and the bride<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How did you arrive at Mirko marrying Anita?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corina:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"We had the idea of two very opposite families, i.e., one family very sociable, outgoing, cheerful, and the other quite the opposite. This created a sense of humor. The idea that they should be Italian came naturally, as there are a lot of Italian families here. On the other hand, we had a companion who started playing the character of Mirko, a boy with a component between autism and schizophrenia. He was the first Mirko, and we said: \"Che, he looks Russian with autism and schizophrenia. He was the first Mirko, and we said, \"Che, he looks like a 'ruso' (Argentinean designation for anyone whose family is Jewish and from Eastern Europe).\" He did a divine process here for many years, but he had to stop. Those who took over his character imitated him. The idea is to play with the difference and also a little with the \"grieta\". That's why it was interesting that they got married and that the families managed to understand each other despite the differences.\"<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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*The \"grieta\" is a concept used in Argentina to mark the head-on opposition between kirchnerists and anti-kirchnerists that divides society, even within families. However, it is also used to explain the binary division between, for example, Boca and River fans, rock and cumbia enthusiasts. It's no coincidence that many believe that this penchant for constant division and interminable conflict is an inherent feature of national identity. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Anita's family<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Mirko's family<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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