Collaborative Theatre Practices in Mendoza: The Notion of Group and its Modifications

Abstract

Theatre is by definition a collective art: to exist as such it always requires of others; the group formation is a condition for theatrical production. However, the present landscape for theatre seems to state the opposite, since many of the teatristas express that the group idea in Mendoza is an expired one. We will start from the hypothesis that the group continues to exist under new formats, considering the modifications that the forms of production have suffered because they need to adapt to the characteristics of current theatrical practices and of the teatristas of today. In this article, we aim to acknowledge the formation of a new map in which artists connect with each other on the basis of associations and work networks. In view of these changes, new questions arise and a new terminological problem appears. How to denominate the new group practices in theatre? We will resort to old concepts coined by P. Sloterdijk and the reflections of García Canclini to analyze the changes produced and will we investigate the term collaborative practice proposed by authors Ary and Alpizar.