FAE Lima: What do theater people write about in times of pandemic?

Death, grief and loneliness, but also hope, mental health, rebirth. Living through two years of a pandemic defines the issues addressed in the works on the festival’s poster FAE Limawhich after its virtual edition last year, returns to reopen different stages of the city.

“After going through the virtual experience, what we were clear about is that the festival should return. With all the care, protecting ourselves and taking care of the details to get back together, “says Marco Mühletaler, one of the spokesmen for FAE Lima and director of the PUCP Cultural Center, an institution that shares the organizational efforts alongside the British, the Center Cultural Center of Spain, the University of Lima and the Pacific, the Great National Theater and the La Plaza Theater. Likewise, it is presented by the Ministry of Culture and has the alliances of the British Council, the Embassy of France, the Italian Institute of Culture and the Municipality of Lima.

It is about returning to the stage, but on the ground: this year the festival is smaller, focused on local theater, with works that, for the most part, were performed virtually during the pandemic. Now you can hear real applause.

As in previous editions, the FAE Lima will also be a space for debate. As Pamela Alderson, spokesperson and official of the Británico, points out, this time the virtual will be a tool that will expand the festival, by bringing together local and foreign teachers in dialogue with our artists in training or professionals.

But in addition to getting the machinery running again, the great challenge is to attract viewers who, with the running of the bulls, seem seduced by screens and platforms. To do this, Mühletaler trusts in the need for people to return to public space.

Of course, it will be the theatrical banquet that will whet the public’s appetite. Vanessa Vizcarra, curator of the programming, has fine-tuned the scenic offer to represent the latest contemporary creation. “During the quarantine, the performing arts in our country have never been silent. That gives a very strong resilience signal. They found ways to continue creating and, when there was even the slightest chance of stepping on stage, they did. Now we want to be faithful to the voice that the sector is raising”, she affirms. And what does that voice say? The answer can be seen in the works exhibited here: a commitment marked by the unipersonal, by the urgent, direct and intimate message, as well as the urgency to return to coexist in society. Let’s take note.

The billboard of the festival

FAE Lima dance residency

The choreographers Luz Gutiérrez (Peru) and Charlotte Giusti (France) direct. The festival begins with a collective creation generated in the festival’s dance residence thanks to the French Embassy. The work with the team of dancers addresses the issue of migration, problematizing from the stage language the implications of arriving in a new country to rebuild economically and emotionally in times of pandemic.

Where: Great National Theater. Av. Javier Prado Este 2225, San Borja.

When: March 2 and 3, 8 p.m.

“From when ‘El Flaco’ Martínez went to heaven without saying goodbye to his kid”

By Mario Zanatta Salvador, directed by Rosa Victoria Chauca Gutiérrez. Two friends, a driver and a conductor for a public transport line, meet in another world to make one last trip along the route they traveled for many years: from the Huandoy oval to the Santa Anita oval. On the tour, memories, longings, sounds, people and places that marked their lives will appear.

Where: Theater of the University of the Pacific. Jr. Sanchez Cerro 2121, Jesus Maria.

When: Friday March 4, Saturday March 5 and Sunday March 6, 8 pm

“Serpent Woman”

Written and directed by Lita Baluarte Winder. A panicked woman fights against a snake that she carries inside her belly. Will she be able to kill her and end it all? To find out, she faces painful episodes in her life: her divorce, her family and her childhood. A journey between madness and redemption.

Where: La Plaza Theater. Larcomar, Malecón de la Reserva 610, Miraflores.

When: March 10, 11 and 12, 8 p.m.

“Herbalists”

Creation of Scenic Collective Demon Angel. Directed by Miguel Rubio Zapata. Farewell stage ritual between the actor and the spectators, after the losses faced by the COVID-19 virus. The artist puts the body to honor the absence of his teacher, through traditional wanka music, songs, dance and personal memory.

Where: British Cultural Station. Bellavista 538, Miraflores.

When: Thursday 3, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 March, 8 pm

“Family Court No. 6″

By Nani Pease, directed by Tirso Causillas. Collective creation that, through fantastic stories, participatory activities and monologues, explores the tense relationship of women with a justice system defined by violence and abuse. It confronts us with the condition of women in Peru and the hope of building something new from the trauma.

Where: Plazuela de las Artes. Jr. Ica 377, Lima. Free entry.

When: Wednesday, March 9 and Saturday, March 12, 7 pm

“The bad”

Directed by Leonardo Valdez Castillo. Adaptation of the story “The planet Trilafon and its location with respect to Lo Malo” by David Foster Wallace. Through an honest monologue, the young actor Fausto Molina Giorgio shares how he has changed his perception of his family, environment and his own identity. A fight against himself and the need to be heard in time.

Where: Cultural Center of Spain. Jr. Natalio Sánchez 181, Lima.

When: Monday 7, Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 March, 8 pm

“Remove weight…”

Collective creation directed by Beatriz Heredia Narváez. “Remove weight or the sin of not fitting into the narrow mold that society had reserved for me” is a one-man tragicomic of an act in which, through scenic and audiovisual resources, the actor Eduardo Pinillos gives an account of his personal history , tackling the most common topics and questions of fatphobia and beauty stereotypes.

Where: British Theatre. Bellavista 527, Miraflores.

When: Saturday March 5, Sunday March 6 and Monday March 7, 8 pm

“Siren”

Written and directed by César Ulloa Cuéllar. Yolanda Rojas acts. To find answers, a woman embarks on journeys and investigations in order to understand if the mermaids are just a myth. Moving between documentary and fiction, she allows us to reflect on the ideals of beauty, femininity and our own identity.

Where: Theater of the PUCP Cultural Center. Av. Camino Real 1075, San Isidro.

When: Thursday March 10, Friday March 11 and Saturday March 12, 8 pm

The Data

The regular sale of tickets, from March 2 to 12, will be S/40 (general) and S/20 (students).

Festival website: www.faelima.com

Conversations and workshops: http://www.infoartes.pe/convocatoria-talleresfaelima2022/