Walking on a Saturday night through the porteña Corrientes Street, it is equivalent to meeting a world of people queuing for dinner at restaurants while choosing which show to see. Yes, theatrical activity recovered in an unusual way, generating a real boom.
“I attribute it to three things: one, because the plays here are very good and we have a following audience,” he says. John Joseph Campanellainvolved in the reopening of the politeama and at the start of “network“. “Second, I get the impression that after the pandemic and the quarantine, people feel that they have found a replacement for the cinema, they got used to the platforms and watch it at home. With the theater that does not happen, it is not the same to see a play on television as it is live. And third, that after the quarantine, there is a need to be in community, and the actors are also part of that meeting, ”he adds.
the return
Charles Rottenbergwith 47 years as a theater entrepreneur, president of AADET -the chamber that groups them- in March 2020 he hung the phrase on the marquee of his room: “Let’s lower the curtain to take care of ourselves, there will be time to go back to the theater”. Today it provides important figures: “After the pandemic, in April of this year the amount of public from 2019 was recovered. That journey began with the capacity of 30% in November 2020, and steps were taken to reach 100%. capacity, which was reached on October 1, 2021.
But the true capacity is decided by the spectator attending the rooms. Fortunately, the curve continues to rise. The explanation we found for it is that it is a dam that was closed, contained, and that breaks when the gate is opened. The avidity for the live show that our audience has is notorious. And it is not a microclimate of Buenos Aires, it occurs throughout the country. the live show moves 6 million tickets a year. She now bursts in forcefully and gives a contradictory look because she is showing two Argentinians. One in deep crisis, and another one of growth, which from April to June would tie this season with that of 19”.
Reactivation
Such is the case that the billboard was once again populated with big names, international artists such as Carolina Ramírez (“The Queen of Flow”) who premiered “What remains of us” here, and Broadway musicals, which require higher budget: “Kinky Boots” is in its second season and the success of “Come From Away” justifies the two years of waiting: “The time came for us to do it because we couldn’t continue speculating about whether people would come to see us or not.
There is an opportunity, let’s take it, let’s go to work. The important thing is to take action and hope for the best. The theater is full and we are very happy”, celebrates Carla Calabrese, producer, actress and director of this last work. “We realized the importance of community; alone and isolated we are not so happy. With theater we are defending the right to have a social life. I think that is why Come From Away became more relevant because it speaks of the need to unite as community in the face of the unforeseen, something that is already part of our daily lives. We are realizing that solidarity is the only thing that saves us.”
In this context, the tenth anniversary of the theater was reached. Riding school (successfully rescued from oblivion by Sebastián Blutrach) and in addition there is a “historic record for openings of theaters and renovations”, says Rottenberg. “Campanella presented the Politeama, in August the Gran Pilar opens with 700 seats; on August 23, the theater of the province of La Pampa is inaugurated for 1,000 spectators with Dracula; in September the Devotee, also for 700 people. Places that were in distress, like the Regina, are being renovated. Businessman Ariel Perrotti launched it two months ago. And Andrea Stivel took charge of the Astros and did it again. the lyceumthe oldest private theater in Latin America, was closed due to the pandemic and will reopen on Tuesday, July 26, to celebrate its 150th anniversary,” Rottenberg lists.
intentions
On the part of Perroti, who has accumulated 35 years of experience in theater activity, he managed to fulfill his dream of creating a room in CABA: “When Linda Peretz, the president of La Casa del Teatro, called me and I saw the state of the regina, I made the decision to reform and improve it. It was very important to give an identity to the facade on Santa Fe Avenue, we also created a space that would function as a hall and we recovered the two original Quinquela Martín, which are another attraction. the room is called Mirtha Legrand and we are making it known; the public and the artists are satisfied because we add good technique. We go from minor to major and for more”, explains the businessman.
And he closes: “With the pandemic, the need for people to laugh and have a good time arose. For this, face-to-face theater cannot be replaced by anything, since no function is the same as another. I think that he boom It is also justified by the good products that are being produced. Added to the desire of the public, it puts together a combination that indicates that we are on a very good path”.
Image gallery
