tlf news

Vol. xxx #1

April, 2009




Itinerant Theatre of Mexico




In the year 2000 and again in 2002, the National Theatre School of Mexico invited Jack Warner to give workshops in Emergency Theatre (the techniques developed in Honduras by teatro la fragua in response to the emergency of Hurricane Mitch in 1998).

A group of the young actors were excited by the possibilities of these techniques for staging theatrical pieces in various spaces; their enthusiasm gave birth to what would evolve into the company known as Itinerant Theatre of México. They set out to find spaces to do shows in places where people gathered naturally, and they directed their theatrical efforts to these spaces with the object of going to the people instead of waiting for the people to look for artistic manifestations, which in the vast majority of areas were close to null.

As to the nature of the "emergency" to which they were going to attend with their theatrical offering, in the words of the first director of the group, Baltimore Beltrán, "we weren't dealing with a natural disaster or a war, but rather an ample population of children who, in the best-case scenario, have no cultural option other than television."

They spread out to schools, hospitals, public parks, orphanages; to any space that could be converted into a theatrical space where people could enjoy the play that was offered. The focus emphasized attending the needs of the audience of children, without ignoring the needs of a broader audience.

With time the objectives of the group were strengthened and focused, and after more than eight years of activity their technique has been enriched by other influences which give the plays a new spark and urgency.

Blanca Gil, for many years the group's director, comments that "by means of this artistic offering we hope to encourage the children to read, and thus to forge a link between education and culture, communicating the value of the written word through the theatrical expression."

The work of Itinerant Theatre centers on developing a love for reading. Actors and musicians establish a dynamic, open and direct relationship with the audience, calling on their essential creative resources: gestures, voices, intentions, sounds, body language and the freshness of live music. All of these come together in the artistic event, which given the condition of "itinerant" can take place in diverse spaces.

The members of the group affirm that "we are convinced of the importance of the formation of new audiences, as well as that of disseminating art in those sectors and communities where access to quality scenic expression is difficult. One cannot deny the critical situation in which our country finds itself: the constant social, political and economic conflicts which afflict us, and the climate of tension that envelops even routine daily tasks. It is very difficult for people to include a trip to a theatre as a normal possibility for relaxation and diversion. That's the reason that Itinerant Theatre tries to break into alternative spaces and, as a sort of first-aid, offers people a scenic alternative which cures the indifference which mars the mental and spiritual health of an individual, with a theatre full of splendid stories, smiles, humor, music and fun."

The plays, story-telling and workshops which Itinerant Theatre offers are directed mainly towards the audience of children. Sowing interest in the scenic arts from an early age offers them an inexhaustible font of cognitive and formative possibilities, a spiritual richness which has a major impact on their dynamic development as persons and as social beings.

The integral development of a human being depends in great part on the cultural and educational process; the linking and reciprocal enrichment of both processes leads to a clearer vision of reality, consciousness of individual possibilities and respect for the rights of others. For this reason Itinerant Theatre seeks to strengthen the link between culture and education, fomenting the love of reading through theatrical expression.

Furthermore, the company has given workshops based on the original Emergency Theatre workshop; these workshops have spread the work among many children and young people. One such group of children, under the direction of Blanca Gil, represented the State of Mexico in the National Showcase of Theatre for Children by Children in 2008.

On top of realizing the work of fomenting reading, the Itinerant Theatre company cooperates in the process of integral formation in which the individual learns to live and interact on the different stages of life, based on a structure of respect, authenticity, justice and tolerance.

Itinerant Theatre continues harvesting the results of the techniques which teatro la fragua sowed in Mexico more than eight years ago.





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