Dinámicas de definición en el teatro porteño: entre lo culto y lo popular

Abstract

Buenos Aires has a rich theatrical history crossed by diverse experiences. Several authors have studied this historical trajectory taking into account the many and varied initiatives developed. Based on these investigations we wonder: Is it possible to recognize dynamics of identification in this “history of the theatre in Buenos Aires”? The various initiatives that have marked the theater in this town are somehow linked together? In what ways? We aim to use these questions to discuss some of the strategies displayed by the different agents to enter the Buenos Aires theatrical field based on what we regard as the creation of a hegemonic theater tradition. We argue that, since the legitimation of this tradition, forms of entry to the field have changed, positioning themselves farther from or closer to those elements established as “traditional”. We will study how some of these theatrical forms have built relationships with the theatrical tradition and inquire how different positions have been conformed regarding the “cult” and the “popular” in theatre, as well as regarding the legitimacy of certain theatrical forms and its social function from colonial times to the military dictatorship established in the country between 1976 and 1983.