Teatroxlaidentidad: Un teatro para la memoria

Abstract

This thesis is the first systematic study on the Teatro por la Identidad (TxI), a theater movement that emerged in Argentina in 2000. TxI productions deal with memory and identity as their main subjects and, aesthetically, follow postmodern trends. This thesis analyzes, first, the origin and evolution of the TxI movement up until 2005, with an emphasis on its geographical extension to other areas in the country and abroad, as well as its impact on theater itself and other areas during the first six years of performances. Second, TxI is defined a social theater and analyzed in the context of the evolution of the Argentine theater itself, in particular in relation to the Teatro Independiente and Teatro Abierto movements. Third, the discussion goes further into TxI as social theater and how it deals with sociopolitical needs represented by the search by the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo of those grandchildren abducted during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship. Common points are also established between TxI productions and recent theories on memory, such as those suggested by Tzevetan Todorov, Paul Ricoeur and Maurice Halbwachs. Fourth, TxI productions are assessed from the point of view of postmodern trends that have been present in the Argentine theater since the nineties. To that end, TxI plays are analyzed to identify those factors that link this movement to resistance and resilience theater, and to a theater of disintegration, which are trends that can be found in the Argentine theater of today. With a reference to studies conducted by Jeanette Malkin on this subject, TxI productions are also analyzed according to the juxtaposition of the concept of memory and postmodern aesthetics, with the conclusion that TxI is similar to the Argentine theater in general, in that it makes use of a multiplicity of aesthetic techniques. A final section focuses on how TxI relates to movements or initiatives in other art disciplines, and provides suggestions for future studies in this field.