The Buenos Aires Theater Complex has closed the curtain on the 2024 season

On a scorching hot day in Buenos Aires, The presentation of the 2024 season of the Buenos Aires Theater Complex brought, it is worth the easy pun, a new air: beyond the extremely difficult general situation, it is of great consolation to know that such a great pillar of the city’s official and public culture as it is The CTBA carries out a rich, varied and well-distributed program across its six theatres that the complex contains.

We must remember this after the pandemic The CTBA has incorporated, after renovating it, an old cinema-theater in the neighborhood of Mataderos, El Plata. And in 2023 The Alvear Theater reopenedin Corrientes street and one hundred meters from San Martino Theatre –the heart of the Complex-, which remained closed for who knows how long.

The other rooms are Sarmiento Theater, in front of the Rural; He Royal Theatreon the border between Palermo and Colegiales, and the Ribera Theatre, in the mouth. That means, a great stage activity in five very different neighborhoods of the city, from the center to its limits.

The intimacy of the presentation

The presentation, opposite a room full of actors, journalists and cultural figures in generalwas started by Gabriela Ricardowho recently left the position of director of the future Complex head of the Ministry of Culture of the city of Buenos Aires; and was subsequently completed by the brand new director Alberto Ligaluppiwho already held this position between 2010 and 2015.

Gabriela Ricardes, who said smiling Ligaluppi “is my predecessor and my successor”, He referred to his own training and performance path in the city’s public institutions (starting from the now legendary, but still alive, Professional Institute of Art) and celebrated the existence of the Complex and the people who make it possible.

Towards the end he anticipated something that is underway: in his intent to weave networks between the CTBA and the Ministry of Culture itself, Both the Bafici, the FIBA ​​​​and the Tango Festival will be held in the rooms of the Complex.

Alberto Ligaluppi filmed the entire program but first celebrated the presence of Jorge Telermanndirector of Colón and who was present in the room, with this comment typical of his sense of humor: “In the history of the Teatro San Martín, Jorge, Gabriela and I are the only directors still alive”.

And then he continued: “Something that characterizes this season is the reflection on what is real. In times of artificial intelligence, when we doubt everything we see and question what is real and what is not, some works show us that what is real has always been a construction.”

As for the season, which begins in February and is so abundant that it inevitably requires a summary, it includes some replies: Cyrano, by Edmond Rostand directed by Willy Landin; The long journey of the day into the night, by Eugene O’Neill, directed by Luciano Suardi, e Measure for measurea creation by Gabriel Chamé Buendía.

Other shows also return throughout the year: Borges and I, memories of a future friend, a musical theater piece created by actress Hanna Schygulla; Also Bourgeoisa version of The bourgeois gentleman by Molière directed by Sebastián Bauzá; AND Benito de La Bocaa musical homage to the painter from Boca in the room that he himself left as a legacy to his neighborhood.

The previews

As for the premieres, Lluís Pasqual will arrive on stage The great illusionby Eduardo de Filippo, a production that the Catalan director premiered in Naples in 2019. Alejandro Tantanian and Carlos Gamerro will create a version of Edward II, the tragedy of Christopher Marlowe; The piece combines the existential and historical problem of the passage of time with a strong individual drama.

They will also be staged at San Martín posthumous lessonin which, after the death of Juan Carlos Genebuilds the playwright Alejandro Robino a piece to contest death; AND a dark spotby Agostina Luz López, a sort of version of Louise May Alcott’s novel Little Womenin which four sisters live with their failed father.

The first is director Lola Arias, who already has a good career at CTBA Prison Rocka “prison musical” that reveals the experiences of women and trans people deprived of freedom.

Ten years after the premiere of My son just walks a little slower, homage is paid to this cult production of the independent theater of Buenos Aires, directed by Guillermo Cacace. And Irina Alonso will take the stage The expertthe great novel by Juan José Saer published in 1983, shortly after the beginning of democracy in Argentina.

The protagonist will be Juana Viale Joannaa show based on texts by the Spaniards Juan Carlos Rubio and Marina Seresesky which collect the words of La Papesa Juana, Juana la Loca and Joan of Arc, among other famous Juanas in history.

As for dance, the Contemporary Ballet, directed by Andrea Chinetti and Diego Poblete, returns to the stage in 2023 with great success: Folia, by the French choreographer Mourad Merzouki.

Come back too The stormchoreography Maurizio Wainrot with music by Philip Glass inspired by the classic Shakespeareanand we add the premieres of a choreography by Teresa Duggan who will work with the writer Alejandra Kamiya The gestures of saltand another by Nicolás Berrueta on texts by Antonio Damasio.

Elizabeth de Chapeaurouge and Alex Soares will premiere two choreographies for the Contemporary Ballet that address the theme of color and Damián Malvacio, co-director together with Norma Binaghi of the Contemporary Dance Workshop, will present “I dance”, a choreography starring adults over 60.

And, of course, there will also be many welcome films in Sala Lugones, by the Burattinai Group directed by Adelaida Mangani, with repeats and previews, visits by international companies, a tribute to Alfredo Alcón ten years after his deathand two performance projects: What we have left to tell, by Fernando Rubio, an experience with characters born from stories collected by the public; AND The Malvina Wara concert with audiovisual performance that brings together artists from different disciplines to reflect on the role of the media during the Falklands War.

It will be a program of classical and popular music and the San Martín Photo Galleryfounded by Sara Facio and about to celebrate four decades of existence, revitalizes its proposals.

And this is not all, far from it.