Original article: Llega al GAM «Sumar, archivos del fracaso», la obra de La Peste que pone en escena una de las novelas más importantes de Diamela Eltit
This creation aims to provoke and challenge audiences, encouraging reflection on the social and political tensions that permeate our societies, as well as themes of repetition, defeat, and how we can rebuild from these narratives.
Thus, «SUMAR, Archives of Failure» is the latest production from the Centro de Investigación Teatro La Peste, based on the 2018 novel by Chilean author and National Literature Prize winner, Diamela Eltit.
This performance marks a significant moment in the 25-year history of this distinguished theater group from Valparaíso, supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage through its Program for Supporting Collaborative Cultural Organizations, recognized within the 2024 Performing Arts Legacy Companies Funding.
Archives of Failure
Through an unsettling theatrical approach, the production invites contemplation on complex and profound topics, aiming not to indoctrinate but to raise questions that can be shared collectively, thus creating a space for reflection and debate.
This is accompanied by a significant dose of humor, which serves as a tool to highlight the contradictions and absurdities of a reality where everything is commodified and lives seem caught in a relentless cycle without possibility for advancement.
The play premiered in May this year at the Teatro del Parque Cultural de Valparaíso Ex Cárcel, where it conducted only three performances, making the upcoming season at GAM a special opportunity for theater enthusiasts in the capital.
The cast features Katty López, Daniella Misle, Felipe Carvajal, and prominent film, theater, and television actor Daniel Antivilo.
«SUMAR, Archives of Failure» will be staged from November 7 to 15, at 7 PM from Thursday to Saturday, and at 6 PM on Sunday, in Room B1 located in Building B, second floor of the Gabriela Mistral Center, GAM. Tickets are priced at $8,000, with discounts available for seniors, students, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities at $5,200.
According to the director of the play, Danilo Llanos, «the concept for this theatrical project emerged from two areas of interest. First, from reading the novel in 2018, prior to significant events such as the social explosion and the pandemic. At that moment, the play already stirred provocative interest, prompting the desire to bring it to the stage. However, following the social unrest and the pandemic, the way to approach the material has changed, leading to different readings, complexity, and context for engaging with the work,» he emphasized.
«At that moment, it takes on a new dimension when understood retrospectively with regard to when it was written, anticipating many issues. And today, as many things have occurred, the text continues to raise questions, stir movements, and provoke concerns regarding the present, colliding with it from various viewpoints,» added director Danilo Llanos.
Regarding the relationship that has developed with the celebrated national author, Llanos highlights her «generosity» in allowing them to use the text: «Diamela Eltit’s generosity in facilitating her work for us to explore ‘whatever we want,’ as she said literally, is very moving.»
For producer and member of La Peste, Gabriela Arancibia, this project «is a dynamic, entertaining work about a group of people’s journey to La Moneda,» and sees it as a great opportunity to «celebrate 25 years of the Centro de Investigación Teatro La Peste’s existence.»
Furthermore, «SUMAR, Archives of Failure» will also embark on a tour across Europe next year. The play is co-produced by FITAM, GAM, and Espacio Inestable, and enjoys collaboration from the Parque Cultural de Valparaíso.
25 Years of La Peste
SUMAR, Archives of Failure is one of the initiatives with which the Centro de Investigación Teatro La Peste celebrates its 25 years of uninterrupted work in the Performing Arts from Valparaíso, focusing on creation, management, training, mediation, and territorial work through research in diverse formats and languages, seeking processes that enhance the artistic work and foster expanded connections with audiences.
The company boasts a rich history spanning over two decades, sustaining a prolific output with more than 30 premieres, touring theaters and festivals both nationally and internationally, consistently engaging in creative processes tied to national and Latin American contexts, aiming to stimulate critical thinking through open questions arising from each theatrical exercise.
The Centro de Investigación Teatro La Peste is led by its four co-directors: Katherine López, Daniella Misle, Danilo Llanos, and Gabriela Arancibia. The creative work team is broad and multidisciplinary, varying according to the needs and artistic proposals of each project, including designers, researchers, journalists, musicians, and more.
Teatro La Peste is part of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage’s Program for Supporting Collaborative Cultural Organizations, which aims to strengthen and ensure continuity for institutions and non-profit cultural organizations.
This program is also part of the Funding System for Organizations and Cultural Infrastructure by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, which integrates, articulates, and coordinates plans, programs, and funds aimed at promoting and supporting organizations, cultural infrastructure, and artistic mediation, all with a decentralized focus, participatory mechanisms, and the promotion of network creation and associations.
El Ciudadano
