Eliana Manzoprotagonist of a new staging “The Anatomy Lesson” —mythical work by Carlos Mathus censored in the ’70s for the nude of its cast—, she is not just another actress. As a teenager, she lost her vision, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to work; and today, at the age of 34, she performs for the first time in a theater on Corrientes street, the Multitabaris, where she receives NEWS, to review her story. An example of overcoming.
News: As a child she studied classical dance, then did artistic gymnastics, until she discovered that she wanted to be an actress. Why doesn’t she tell me about her journey through those disciplines and how she coped with the loss of her vision to continue acting?
Eliana Manzo: I started classical dance at the age of 4 and, one day, since I had so much energy, the teacher recommended to my parents that they take me to do something else, to expend that energy a bit and to calm down again (laughs). There, my dad took me to artistic gymnastics at River, a club of which he is a fan. This is how I began to train, compete and level up, until one day the coach of the National Team arrived and summoned me to CeNARD, where I continued training, already to prepare myself to enter the Elite, the highest category. Already in Elite, I began to compete in South American and Pan-American tournaments, and to prepare for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. At the age of 13, I trained from Monday to Saturday, from 8 am to 5 pm, so I attended school free of charge. But at 15, I planted a flag and told my parents that I wanted to be an actress. I liked gymnastics, but it was not my dream. At first, it was hard for them to understand —especially my dad—, because they had high expectations: they took me to study English because I was going to travel with the sport… But in the end, they prioritized my wishes.
News: How did your vocation for acting come about?
Manzo: I think I always had it. My family is very large, and when I was very young, I organized plays at family gatherings. I made their costumes, directed them.
News: When did your vision problems start?
Manzo: The loss began at 15, 16 years old. There he could no longer read the fine print and the ophthalmologist realized that he could not correct the problem with a lens. So, he referred me to a neuro-ophthalmologist, who diagnosed me with optic neuritis, which is when the neuron of the optic nerve becomes inflamed and ends up dying. Then I stopped reading, but I saw people; then I stopped seeing the faces, I saw that there were people, but I didn’t know if it was a man or a woman; then I stopped seeing the shapes, but I saw the colors. So, I started using a blue plate to contrast with the food and to know where to poke. After that I didn’t see anything.
News: I understand that you also went through difficult times…
Manzo: Yes. The first, in a casting, at the age of 17. There he still had what is called “bulge vision.” He saw a lump, but he didn’t know if it was a person or a piece of furniture. Anyway, I went and stayed: I pretended that he saw and they believed it, but When they found out I couldn’t see, they kicked me out. I left crying… Then I met Lito Cruz, who told me: “Do you want to be an actress? Are you going to be an actress? Do you want to study here? You are going to study here.” Lito was very generous with me, he put all his wisdom at my disposal. He directed me in “La otra”, by Javier Daulte, for two years, then he called me to do theater in prisons. There I made “Candy for the trip”. It was one of my best experiences.
News: He also performed in the company Teatro Ciego.
Manzo: I have a lot of conflict with that that a disabled person can only relate to another disabled person, but when I went, I liked it. It is theater in absolute darkness, with the public immersed in the scene. You play to imagine, enhancing other senses.
News: Have you ever been close to giving up?
Manzo: No but several times I felt that the doors were closed, and those situations generated duels, which I had to go through. But stop acting, never. The theater was the greatest engine to overcome my visual problem, because it led me to develop strategies: to study a script, to function on stage.
News: Did you do therapy?
Manzo: I did, but my greatest support was always love. That of my family, that of my partner, because love generates security for you, it makes you feel that you are worth it; and if you feel that you are worth it, you can face it with more confidence. My parents, for example, always pushed me to lead my life, because their biggest fear was not that something would happen to me in the street, but that I would not lead my life.
News: She recently told on her social networks that she was denied a rental for being blind.
Manzo: Yes. With my partner, we had reserved a new house, but one day before the move, the owner found out that I did not see and backed out. Incredible! With all the things already packed, with my baby of a few months in tow. That’s when I decided to make a video, which went viral. Beyond the complaint, I did it to raise awareness. Because everyone talks about inclusion, but the prejudice about non-vision is still very latent.
News: And how did “The Anatomy Lesson” come about?
Manzo: Carlos Rottemberg saw the video and called me. He told me that, as part of society, he felt that he had to respond to that situation. He told me: “I don’t have an apartment to rent you, but as a theater manager I can give you work”; and he contacted me with Antonio Leiva, director of the work. I did not have to ask Antonio anything in relation to my non-vision. He, with all his experience and despite the fact that it is a work with a great physical display, he was generating all the strategies so that I felt safe. I always dreamed of reaching Corrientes street, but it’s so hard for them to trust me… That is why I am so grateful for these types of gestures. Or that of Claudio González, a great man from the world of tango, with whom I began to study tango and ended up dancing in milongas. I love tango, it is such an elegant dance, so sensual.
News: In The Lesson… he does a monologue about the frustrations that one carries in life and that not all of us manage to overcome. The complete opposite of you.
Manzo: Dresses? It was hard for me, because when faced with a problem, the first thing I think about is how to solve it. Everything happens for a reason. It helped me to be a little more conciliatory with the powerlessness of others.
News: And how do you get along with the nude in the work? In his networks I saw that she did an artistic nude during her pregnancy.
Manzo: Yes, Diego, my partner, who is a plastic artist, painted me in that nude. I believe that if the show requires it, the artist’s body should be at their entire disposal. Especially in a work like The Lesson…, where the nude is so justified. It is like going back to our origins, to how we came into the world, without differences of any kind.
by Sergio Nunez
