The political dimension of the First Latin American Theater Festival (Córdoba, Argentina -1984)

Abstract

In 1984, the city of Córdoba hosted and produced the first Latin American Theater Festival, interpreted by many people as a political-cultural manifestation that transcended the theatrical field. Made official by the local government, it was associated with a euphoric climate that hoped to leave behind the authoritarian past, and thus the festival highlighted the aspects that were possible as a result of the recovery of democracy, such as freedom, the occupation of public space and the participation of those who returned from exile. One of its objectives was also to achieve the opening of Córdoba to the world and, above all, to Latin America, making strong references to identity and regional integration. This article examines artistic and cultural practices in the context of democratic restoration, particularly the experience of the first Latin American Theater Festival (I Festival Latinoamericano de Teatro - FLT). We analyze some plays that were part of the official grid (Accions by La Fura dels Baus of Spain and the well-known rock opera El espectáculo va a comenzar from Córdoba, Argentina) as well as two street experiences linked to parallel grid. We use an approach that recovers the contributions of recent and cultural history and a corpus based on press and documentary sources.