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| Grupo Teatro Abierto | |
|---|---|
| Name | Grupo Teatro Abierto |
| Caption | Poster for a Teatro Abierto season |
| Formed | 1981 |
| Location | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Genre | Theatre collective, political theatre |
Grupo Teatro Abierto
Grupo Teatro Abierto was an Argentine theatrical collective formed in 1981 in Buenos Aires as a response to censorship during the National Reorganization Process and the Dirty War. The collective brought together actors, directors, playwrights and cultural figures from institutions such as the Teatro San Martín, Teatro Colón and independent companies linked to the Teatro Abierto movement. Its seasons featured short plays and sketches that connected to events like the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo demonstrations, exposing audiences to censored voices from across the Argentine cultural scene.
The collective emerged amid repression following the 1976 Argentine coup d'état and during the repression of the Argentine Night of the Pencils and persecution tied to the National Reorganization Process. Its activity intersected with cultural institutions such as the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and venues like the Teatro Payró and Teatro General San Martín. Performances often referenced contemporary crises including the Falklands War and resonated with movements like the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and intellectual circles around the Liga Argentina por los Derechos del Hombre.
Founders came from networks connected to the Teatro Independiente tradition and artistic milieus surrounding the Teatro Nacional Cervantes and the Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas. The initiative was catalyzed by actors and directors returning from collaborations with international artists associated with the Comédie-Française, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Early meetings took place in cultural hubs near the Plaza de Mayo and in theaters on Avenida Corrientes that linked to the avant-garde scenes inspired by figures like Leopoldo Marechal and institutions such as the Instituto Di Tella.
Key participants included directors and actors who had worked with ensembles from the Teatro Colón and playwrights connected to the Club del Progreso and literary networks around Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares, and Julio Cortázar-era circles. Collaborators comprised professionals from the Universidad de Buenos Aires drama department, members of companies that had staged works by Federico García Lorca, Bertolt Brecht, Anton Chekhov, and contemporary writers associated with the Cruz del Sur publishing world. The collective attracted scenographers, composers and visual artists who had collaborated with institutions like the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and festivals such as the Festival Internacional de Teatro de Buenos Aires.
Seasons presented a mix of short plays, sketches and monologues, including premieres of works by playwrights influenced by Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter, Eugene O'Neill, and Latin American authors in the tradition of Griselda Gambaro, Osvaldo Dragún, and Ricardo Monti. Repertoire choices often echoed productions staged at the Teatro Nacional Cervantes and works previously produced at the Festival Internacional Cervantino. The collective also mounted pieces connected to the wider Spanish-speaking world, referencing productions from the Teatro de la Zarzuela and contemporary pieces circulated through the Fundación Teatro a Mil network.
Activities unfolded against repression by the National Reorganization Process and responses to events such as the Beagle conflict aftermath and the Islas Malvinas crisis. Performances functioned as cultural counterspeech in the wake of censorship practices similar to those faced by artists expelled under regimes like the Francoist Spain and paralleled dissident cultural responses in countries such as Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship. The group's gatherings intersected with protests by organizations like the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and dialogues promoted by intellectual forums at the Universidad de Tres de Febrero and the Teatro San Martín.
The collective favored short-form dramaturgy, ensemble staging practices, and scenography influenced by practitioners from the Stanislavski system, the Brechtian tradition, and contemporary methods associated with the Grotowski and Peter Brook experiments. Music and collaboration with composers linked to the Tango revival and arrangers who worked with the Teatro Colón choir informed soundscapes. Visual artists from the Arte Concreto-Invención lineage and stage designers with experience at the Instituto Di Tella contributed to minimalist, symbolic sets.
The group's work influenced post-1983 productions at institutions such as the Teatro General San Martín, the Centro Cultural Recoleta, and independent venues across Buenos Aires Province. Its model informed collectives that later collaborated with festivals like the Festival Internacional de Teatro de Buenos Aires and inspired directors who trained at the Escuela Nacional de Arte Dramático, the Conservatorio Nacional de Música, and drama departments of the Universidad de Buenos Aires. The collective's imprint can be traced in later works addressing state violence and memory alongside playwrights and companies affiliated with the Centro Cultural Kirchner and itinerant troupes touring the Pampa Humeda and other Argentine regions.
Category:Theatre companies of Argentina