“Before I said that I don’t get involved in politics because it makes me gag. I’m sorry I didn’t do it today.”

When her destiny already seemed drawn, tendinitis in her left arm forced her to give up the dream of becoming a consecrated pianist. However, the love that Denisse Dibos feeling for music led her to explore paths that until then she had not imagined. It was 1995 and she has just returned to Lima. She, aware of the problem that prevented her from playing the piano, returned as a teacher to her alma mater, the Santa Úrsula school. It was there, while she was directing the school choir, that she found her true calling. “Our choir was classical and I saw that the girls were somewhat unmotivated so I suggested they make a musical. It was something basic, a compilation of Disney musicals. That was the germ that gave rise to Prelude”. Her successful experience led her to work alongside Horacio Paredes as a production assistant for “Pantaleón y las visitadoras”. In 1997 “The Rebel Novice” became the first musical with Prelude, the cultural association that she founded together with her sister Rina.

Since then and almost without realizing it, 25 years and 33 productions have passed, between plays and musicals, from which artists of the stature of Marco Zunino, Gisela Ponce de León, Anahí de Cárdenas or Natalia Salas have emerged and been promoted. . “Looking back and seeing what has been achieved, the number of talents we have forged and who have now formed their own school, makes me happy. I feel that, despite having always worked against all odds, this is my true mission”. In that sense and after two very hard years for the cultural industry of Peru, the return to the stage with “Todos Vuelven: un musical para el reunion” takes on a new meaning.

—Who has been your national benchmark for making musicals?

My number one reference was always Osvaldo Cattone. I used to go to the Marsano since I was little and I was fascinated by his musicals. At that time he made his own versions of the works that were done on Broadway. For example, the one from “The Rebel Novice” called him “Hallelujah, Hallelujah”. I danced as a girl, I liked acting and I played the piano, but I decided to study music abroad. Upon my return, because my idea was always to return to the country and contribute something, I had a problem that prevented me from doing piano concerts. So I decided to do something that is linked to the music that I love so much. At that time, Cattone had already left the musicals aside, I looked for him and the producer Horacio Paredes and they told me “you’re getting into something crazy, but we support you”. And that’s how I formed Prelude in 1997, with the help of Rina, my older sister.

“We have found our own language. We began the path with “Let me tell you. The Chabuca musical”, and now we are consolidating it. We use the tools that Broadway has given us to incorporate what is Peruvian, what is ours.”

Denisse Dibos about the renewed return of “Everybody Comes Back”.

—The problem you had with your left arm changed the course of your life.

Let’s see, I went to study music abroad at 18. Despite being young I had things very clear, I told myself if I dedicate myself only to dance I will have an age limit, up to 40 more or less. Acting was something I could do at any time, but making music is more complex, more academic. That’s why I went to study abroad, my instrument was the piano. I had already given recitals, I even did one in Lima at the ICPNA in Miraflores. It took me eight years to study everything related to her. And when I was going to be my doctorate I had this problem in my arm. I had a very strong tendinitis, which started with carpal syndrome, which is in the wrist, and it did not allow me to play the piano like before. To this day, my left hand was never the same. Now if I play I have to rest every moment. But as the saying goes, god knows why he does things and that’s how I found my true path.

—When are you coming back to Lima?

In 1995 and immediately I went to work at the Santa Úrsula school to which I owe all my interest and love for art. I worked a whole year giving music classes. It was there that I saw that the tastes of the girls were changing. We had a classical choir, I saw them somewhat unmotivated so I proposed to make a musical. And there I was sent well, I wrote an easy, basic musical, which was a compilation of several Disney musicals and I called it “Disney One Night Dreams”. There were five of this type because there were 500 students who wanted to participate. So I divided the days of the week into groups of 100 and distributed those 100 30 by 30 at different times of the day. Until that moment I had not realized that I had that vocation, that gift to produce. From watching Cattone and Horacio’s musicals so much, he had learned a lot.

Did you organize everything by yourself?

Yes, I began to ask the students where their parents worked to contact them and ask for some kind of sponsorship for the musical in which their daughters were going to participate. That was the germ that gave rise to Prelude. The musical was presented on a weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I remember that the queue to enter went around the block from the school. I also remember that Horacio Paredes went to see the show and asked me who had obtained the lights, the costumes, the scenery. “Where did you get the money from?”, I was wondering. It was a beautiful experience. There the idea of ​​making “The Rebel Novice” was born and all the girls from Santa Úrsula participated there. But before, when I left school, Horacio called me to work with him. In 1996 he was his production assistant and we did “Pantaleón y las visitadoras” at the Montecarlo theater. After that experience, I knew that this was what I wanted to do all my life.

The fruits of the sacrifice

—In hindsight, how do you rate these 25 years at the helm of Preludio?

All this time we have worked non-stop and always against all odds. That makes me happy because I look back and see what we have achieved, the number of artists and talents we have forged and now they are the ones who have formed their own school. Thus they are generating their own cultural space and productions. That’s why I tell myself that the sacrifice was worth it. Having had actors like Marco Zunino, who has made a career on Broadway or Gisela Ponce de León who started with us as a child. There are many Anahí de Cárdenas, Verónica Álvarez, Miguel Álvarez, Natalia Salas. I feel that this is my true mission. What we are achieving is that the branches of a tree open. It is beautiful to see that the fruits that our school has borne bear others in turn and thus this wonderful and cultural tree grows, decentralizes and opens up a range of artistic possibilities.

—Within the work that involves making musicals almost alone in Peru, what do you consider has been the most difficult task?

Getting sponsorships has been my greatest personal undertaking. I consider that it has been a great achievement to be able to maintain alliances with the companies that have opted for us. For that I feel grateful, without them we would not have been able to do this. There have been years in which we have had almost no support, but we have not stopped, although many times the budget has been very tight. That is why I also thank the people and professionals passionate about art who have accompanied us.

—Also to the public that follows them.

Yes, when we started with “The Rebel Novice” the success was total. There was not a free seat, because the musical theater returned after decades and because children were presented and that attracted many. I must say that all our musicals have had a large concentration of audiences, but of course they are seasons of two or three months and four times a week. We cannot speak of a massive public but one that has been formed.

—After what has been achieved, is there any dream left to fulfill?

I always dreamed of having my own theater, but I know that not everything can come true. Having bet on this genre to spread it was my main objective. I hope, just as Osvaldo did, to continue until the last day of my life stuck in the theater. It’s what I want, I tell you with great pride. While we were preparing a video to bring together all the actors who have accompanied us these 25 years, from “The Rebel Novice” to “Everyone Comes Back”, I began to cry because only after seeing the images did I realize what we have done. I have always been like racehorses, with blinders, always forward and focused on my path, without envying and learning. Now I’m starting to leave the tables, because there is being aware of the passage of time. I’m not going to say that this will happen now, but it is a realistic vision and it will be progressive.

return recharged

—“Everyone returns”, the work that celebrates 25 years of Prelude, has undergone a series of changes since its premiere. What has happened?

When a musical starts, it does so with a libretto that is normally about three years in the making. Some have taken 10 years to build completely, but in that time it is improving, adjusting the plot. This has happened, for example, with “Hamilton”, a musical theater monster that has broken all the rules and broken records. With “Todos Vuelven” we wanted to do something like that. In 2019 we had a first installment, the title does not change but the montage is evolving. We have found our own language. We started the journey with “Let me tell you. El musical de Chabuca”, and now we are consolidating it. We want to continue along that line, but using the tools that Broadway musicals have given us and incorporating it into what is Peruvian, what is ours. We wanted to reflect all the colors of our country. Among all the complete artists that we have, we chose Emilia Drago, Erika Villalobos and Miluska Eskenazi as representations of who we are, of how we see our country. As artists we are saying enough to those who want to continue polarizing the country.

—Have specific scenes been included that reflect the current situation?

We have changed the beginning and the end, without stopping going through the historical stages. I don’t want to give too much away, but there are scenes from the jungle and the fight for rubber, with which we talked about the exploitation and corruption that we suffer to this day. This is part of the evolution that “Everyone Comes Back” is experiencing. The thing is It seems that we have learned nothing. First we were colonized, then with independence power struggles were generated and to this day we continue to rival brothers. Can we say that after 200 years we have advanced? There is a text that Mateo Chiarella wrote and that Sandra Muente recites, who plays Rosa Merino. She says “Are we really free? Or are we still scavenging beasts? Killing and eating each other for our own benefit”. That text kills me because it is so real and today it takes on so much force.

—Then, the work has a clear political discourse.

I used to say I don’t get into politics because it makes me gag. For many years I watched what was happening without doing or saying anything about it. But today I’m sorry I didn’t, not to get a job but to get a better opinion of what’s going on. Some time ago I read that in Greece they called an idiot who did not get involved in politics, who turned his back on the chores of the community. Then I understood that doing politics means being informed. This lack of information is what leads us to continue voting badly. But of course there is not much to choose from, we have always voted for the lesser evil. Now I am involved with the civil association Peru I Love You. Before, I told my writers, let’s not get into that. Now I tell them let’s go with everything, I’m not shy anymore. But our main discourse is to embrace our differences and celebrate our diversity. This is what we want to say through our work: we are Peruvians and we all love our country from where we are.