“Madriguera”, staging with a new format to enjoy the theater as in the cinema

How to call the scenic format that seeks to break, through moving images, with the limitations imposed by the tables? The alternatives to give it a name were hanging around the head of director Renatto Argüelles for a long time until he chose to name it Theater Film. With this new concept seen in Spain, he got down to work on “Madriguera”, a dynamic show with an unusual plot on stage. The apparent calm in a maximum security women’s prison, based in the United States, ends when the war between two sides breaks out. The reason for the rivalry focuses on Lorena (Cristina Benavides), the new inmate who unknowingly has a strange relationship with Estela (Karen Spano), leader of one of the most dangerous groups in the prison. To protect herself from her, she joins the Mara Salvatrucha under the command of Lupe (Lía Camino). In this context, a series of additional conflicts take place that will test the loyalty, love and strength of the nine characters. The production opens today at the Miraflores Auditorium Theater.

“Here we don’t have a stage industry like in Argentina or Mexico. That’s why what I’m looking for is that after this experience full of action, people want to return to the theater.”

Renatto Argüelles / Director and actor Demarcation on “Madriguera” and other works considered more “serious”, but with a heavy argument for a good part of the public.

“This way of doing theater allows us to see the actresses live and at the same time witness parts of the story through short projections, scenes recorded in a cinema key that continue and complement the narrative thread. For example, a fight or an ambush cannot be done live due to space issues, that’s why we decided to record them. This gives a greater visual appeal to the work”argues Argüelles, who is also responsible for the dramaturgy.

In addition to the innovative format, the also actor considers that the prison world he explores is another point that arouses the interest of the public. “It is not a topic that is usually touched on here. There is a lot of friction between the prisoners and in “Buren” you will see what actually happens in a prison. Although doing so is a risk and implies a greater investment, ”he affirms. With the clear objective of entertaining, the young director makes an additional demarcation with the “serious” cuts, which in some cases tend to have a heavy plot for the average viewer. “Here we don’t have a stage industry like in Argentina or Mexico. That’s why what I’m looking for is that after this action-packed experience people want to return to the theater.”

The first time that Argüelles mixed the theater scene and the cinema was in 2019 with “Vikingos”, a suspense thriller that revolved around a kidnapping. After the good reception of the montage, the performances of “Madriguera” were scheduled for April 2020. After the pandemic postponements, two and a half years later the project returns with more spirit and strength than before.