Cultural activism and human rights today: our theatre 2014

Abstract

The article analizes the theater season Nuestro Teatro (NT) that took place in Picadero Theater in Buenos Aires City between April and October 2014, to honor the memory of Teatro Abierto 1981. It draws on in-depth interviews to playwrights, the observation of some plays, and the content analysis of some of the dramatic texts shown during the season. The article views NT as cultural activism; and as an aestethic and political intervention, similar to others that emerged in the last years in Argentina. It elaborates on the memories of state terrorism built by the theater season, and on the way it dealt with human rights. The article pays attention to the relationship between this activist space and human rights organizations and political parties. Drawing on democratic theorists, and on Rancière, the article reflects on the politics that seasons like NT enact.