Teatro Sidarte Explores Memory, Confinement, and State Violence in September Lineup

Original article: Teatro Sidarte aborda la memoria, el encierro y las violencias de Estado en su cartelera de septiembre

Throughout September, Teatro Sidarte will delve into various issues related to memory, confinement, and human rights through its programming, featuring the plays «Calugas» by the Cía. Conejo de Fuego and «Desierto» written by Tomás Henríquez Murgas and directed by Mario Monge (cover photo).

These performances aim to offer a critical perspective on the experience of confinement, impunity, and the punitive logics that permeate recent history and the present.

All performances will take place at 7:30 PM in the Theater of the Sindicato de Actrices, Actores y Trabajadores del Teatro (Sidarte). This initiative is funded by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage through its Support Program for Collaborative Cultural Organizations.

Programming Details

At the start of the cycle, from Wednesday, September 2 to Saturday, September 12, «CALUGAS,» a documentary theatrical work by Cía. Conejo de Fuego, will be presented; it is based on the writings of sisters Gabriela and Paulina Richards during their political confinement between 1987 and 1990.

The production derives its name from the small clandestine messages wrapped like candies that were sent from prisons, and from a feminist perspective, it explores care, affection, and the forms of collective organization developed by women to survive confinement.

According to its director, Aranzazu Ispizua, the play transcends historical record to reflect on current forms of confinement: «Calugas is not a work about the dictatorship in a historical or commemorative sense, though that context is very present. It is a work that uses that moment as a starting point to talk about something broader and more persistent: the experience of confinement, relationships, care, and the political role of women in prison.»

Tickets for «Calugas» are available for purchase here.

Meanwhile, from September 23 to 26, «DESIERTO,» written by Tomás Henríquez Murgas and directed by Mario Monge, will be staged.

This proposal reconstructs the disappearance of José Vergara, a young man with schizophrenia who was detained by Carabineros in Alto Hospicio in September 2015 and later abandoned in the desert.

Through a staging that combines live cameras, projections, and police cinematic language, the production confronts the contradictions of judicial testimonies and puts truth and impunity notions to the test.

Tickets for «Desierto» are available for purchase here.

Performances will operate on a pay-what-you-can basis ($8,000, $6,000, and $4,000), with an additional popular pricing day on Wednesdays at $3,000, aiming to enhance access to the performing arts. Tickets are available through Ticketplus.

EL CIUDADANO