Cool theatre in Buenos Aires.

April 11, 2007 6:58 PM

So my man and I are going Buenos Aires for ten days starting in about 2 weeks. I'm a theatre artist here in Austin and I know that BA has an interesting theatre scene that I'd like to check out. Anyone know of specific shows or companies that I should look for? (More about my tastes inside.)

I'm not that into "straight" plays. The work I make - and tend to like - is generally original or adapted, usually with a lot of movement, and a sense of humor. Also, my Spanish is not great, so dance-based productions or companies might be easier to understand. Oh, and I've seen, and liked, De la Guarda. Any info will be enthusiastically appreciated.

posted by sonnet to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

I don't know what the contemporary scene is like in Buenos Aires, but I've recently read some great plays and about some great performances by the Argentine performers Diana Raznovich and Griselda Gambaro (separately, i don't think they work together), so it might be useful to try googling them and seeing if they have anything in the works. If they do, I would recommend it based on what I've seen of their work on video.
posted by jrb223 at 7:38 PM on April 11, 2007

There was a festival at PS 122 last fall centered around theater from Buenos Aires. I particularly enjoyed "Women Dreamt Horses" by Daniel Veronese and "Ex-Antwone by Federico Leon. I'd google those playwrights' names, find out what theaters are doing their shows and just buy some tickets to whatever is on at those theaters.
posted by geryon at 11:28 PM on April 11, 2007

I can't claim to be too tapped into this scene. That said, I wanted to make sure you knew about a few resources that might help you. They're in Spanish, but I'm betting you could get enough out of them to point you in the right direction.

Beyond grabbing Clarín on Friday for the listings, there's wipe.com.ar, an on- and off-line culture zine. It's also worth checking out the culture section of the city government's excellent web site, in particular their downloadable PDF listings guide. It might possibly be worth picking up the Buenos Aires Herald, the English-language paper here. It's a real rag and I would never usually recommend it for anything but lining bird cages, but they might well highlight something that fits your criteria.

As far as my own limited personal experience, I saw a show a few years ago at the Teatro del Abasto that fit your description pretty well -- mostly dance. But you'd have to see what's going on there during the time you'll be down here. I think their offerings are pretty varied.
posted by veggieboy at 8:46 AM on April 12, 2007

Mmm... posted too soon. Here's another link that might prove useful: the city's English-language visitors site. On the righthand rail, you can search for cultural events by month. Hope this helps.
posted by veggieboy at 8:49 AM on April 12, 2007