Only in the second fortnight of January did the theater begin to refloat

From December 20 and until mid-January, the regrowth wreaked havoc. It was necessary to suspend rehearsals, go to the zoom mode, postpone releases and cancel premieres. In Microteatro, which offers 14 weekly plays between the main session and the slut from Wednesday to Saturday, almost all the casts in January suffered infections from at least one member, if not all, leaving the billboard unguarded. Patricio Abadi’s company was one of the hardest hit in January with his work “Beauty and rich” and that is why he was given the opportunity to be back in February.

Julieta Novarro, from Microteatro, told this newspaper: “It picked up as of January 15, as if the wind had changed, apparently many have already been infected and those who have not, no longer care. In Mar del Plata, construction was stopped due to the number of infections, so Microteatro will only open in March and not in February as planned. Microteatro could not yet return to pre-pandemic rates. “People are just now getting excited and they find a 12-minute work, which does not come to close contact,” continues Novarro. “If someone in the public takes off their mask, it is very noticeable because the room is very small. There is a young audience that is very faithful to the proposal although I miss that audience over 50 years old who was a regular, but it will come back. It is incredible because both Mar del Plata and Córdoba rebounded on the same day, in mid-January, that makes us think that the fortnight changed and the public increased, all attributed to the pandemic and not to the programming or lack of attendance. Fear played very against. All the casts were modifying actors or directors in relation to the original teams that had presented in 2019. Only in March will we present post-pandemic works and those who present know that they will be able to be there, the team is hotter and they start rehearsing, there is no bump. In any case, we saw beautiful works because in art you never know, sometimes the inconvenience ends up playing in favor”.

Regarding the curatorship by María Figueras, Lorena Romanín and Novarro, the latter considered: “We are constantly recalculating, we question how open our gaze is and we listen. We value the desire to be part of the artists and we notice that sometimes someone more amateur gives it impetus and squeezes the opportunity to the fullest”. Microteatro will present in February the theme “For the lies” with the works “In your networks”, with dramaturgy and direction by Lorena Romanín; “Let’s see those palms”, by Pablo Novak; “Anniversary”, by Nelson Valente; “Balloon of lies”, directed by Dalia Gutman; “I play blindly”, by Eloísa Tarruella; “They already arrived”, by Nicolás Condito and “The couturier and the bride”, by Carolina Liponetzky directed by Sebastián Suñé (see box).

Ariel Stolier, from Paseo La Plaza, told this newspaper: “We came with more expectations of normality when the year closed, which was so active, but ómicron caused delays and cancellations. The first fortnight hit the schedule but then the sector got ready to coordinate replacements in production, technique and non-starring cast. Heroes are those artists who are replacements in the cast and who with their work support the shows on the bill, which otherwise would have had to be cancelled. The first fortnight was felt a lot, the second stabilized. January went its own way, not everything is measured in spectators and collection but also in quantity and diversity of proposals. Shows that have premiered prove to be historical successes such as ‘Inamuduros’ with Suar and Peretti, ‘Las Chicas de la Culpa’, which is sold out until March 4 and sold out at the Met. We have 25 shows for February as a result of the artisanal and live work that requires a staff naturally beaten by omicron. When it could be organized, it rebounded, when there were staggered contagions of protagonists, such as ‘She in my head’, the premiere was delayed “.