"La Rascada", a Metatheatrical Mise-en-Scène that Connects the History of Argentine Theatre

Abstract

This paper analyzes the play "La Rascada, un teatrito de las orillas", written and directed by Andrés Binetti. This strongly metatheatrical mise-en-scène stages a clear reflection on the characteristics of theatrical practice not only during the 1950s, period in which the story takes place, but also in our contemporary context. Metatheatricality appears in the fictional universe, which displays the backstage of a marginal variety theatre and the realities of its artists, and it is also emphasized by the recurrent staging procedure of representation within the representation that regularly confronts the audience with the artistic numbers performed by the characters, thus reinforcing the tension between the past and the theatrical present. In "La Rascada, un teatrito de las orillas", fourteen characters embody some of the varieté stereotypes that played such a significant role in setting of the pillars of Argentinian popular theatre. The characters, topics and references to iconic actors of that time do not only point to the local popular actor through verbal reference, but also through their corporality and acting style, establishing intertextual relations that connect the play with the sainete and grotesco criollo as well.