Original article: Teatro Imagen estrena «Lo crudo, lo cocido, lo podrido»: Obra censurada en dictadura vuelve a escena bajo la dirección de Elsa Poblete

Teatro Imagen Premieres Censored Masterpiece «Lo crudo, lo cocido, lo podrido» Under Elsa Poblete’s Direction

The Teatro Imagen company has launched a new version of «Lo crudo, lo cocido, lo podrido,» a hallmark of Chilean theater written by Marco Antonio de la Parra and originally directed by Gustavo Meza in 1978.

This time, the staging is led by the acclaimed actress Elsa Poblete, who directs a piece that remains highly relevant due to its critical perspective on power, authority structures, and resistance to change.

The show will run from October 30 to November 14 at Sala Imagen, located at Centro Arte Imagen-Gustavo Meza/Elsa Poblete (Loreto 414, Recoleta, Santiago).

Memory and Cultural Resistance

The story of «Lo crudo, lo cocido, lo podrido» is closely linked to cultural censorship during Pinochet’s dictatorship.

The play was selected for debut by the Teatro de la U. Católica and had been under development for over four months when, in 1978, its presentation was canceled by the institution’s authorities. Their rationale for the ban pointed to its supposed «vulgar and disrespectful» nature.

Thus, censorship prevented its premiere in the university theater, but it could not silence the work. Gustavo Meza chose to continue with the project alongside his independent company Teatro Imagen, which ultimately staged it in November of that same year at the Sala Bulnes in Santiago.

During the dictatorship, as artistic activity faced restrictions and various companies and creators saw their futures threatened, Teatro Imagen emerged as a hub for creation and cultural resistance. The decision to produce the play allowed the characters conceived by De la Parra to remain alive on stage, challenging the prohibition.

A Social Allegory from the Absurd

The piece constructs a social allegory centered around an old restaurant called Los Inmortales, where a group of waiters and a manager cling to rules, rituals, and hierarchies in a decaying world.

While awaiting the return of past glories, they strive to maintain an order that is beginning to show its cracks. Under the façade of an absurd, grotesque, and highly entertaining story, the play unfolds a critical reading of Chilean society and its power structures.

Elsa Poblete and the Artistic Team

Actress Elsa Poblete, a longtime member of Teatro Imagen, takes the helm of this new version, succeeding Gustavo Meza in a work closely tied to the history of the company, founded in 1974.

«Re-staging ‘Lo crudo, lo cocido, lo podrido’ is a reunion with a fundamental piece of our theater and a story we cannot forget,» comments the director of the production.

She further recalls that the play «was born in a moment of censorship, yet also of profound artistic conviction and much humor, meant to entertain. Today, we want it to engage with the audience again, to keep its questions about power, authority, and resistance unsettling us and helping us critically examine our current social and personal realities.»

Through this season, Teatro Imagen not only recovers a central work in its history but also reaffirms the role of the performing arts as a space for freedom, memory, and critical reflection.

Event Details

Lo crudo, lo cocido, lo podrido
From October 30 to November 14 (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 PM).
Sala Imagen, Centro Arte Imagen-Gustavo Meza/Elsa Poblete
Loreto 414, Recoleta, Santiago
Tickets: Seniors and students $7,000 – General $10,000.
Available at www.passline.com