CASA Latin American Theatre Festival 2013

CASA LATIN AMERICAN THEATRE FESTIVAL 2013

CASA Latin American Theatre Festival returns to London this autumn to present an outstanding selection of world-class theatre from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador alongside new work by emerging UK-based Latin American theatre-makers, live music events, visual arts exhibitions, workshops, debates and community activities.
CASA Latin American Theatre Festival 2013 (“CASA 2013”) celebrates its sixth edition with ten days of work from five of Latin America’s leading theatre companies and an exciting mix of award-winning and emerging UK-based Latin American artists. Combining hard-hitting social commentary and tender personal stories, stunning visual theatre alongside poetic wordplay and simple storytelling, tragedy and comedy, this year’s festival programme is CASA’s most politically charged and most moving to date.

As we remember “the other 9/11” and the 40th anniversary of the military coup in Chile, the CASA 2013 programme explores the terrible implications of state violence and corruption on the individual, revealing some of the biggest challenges that Latin America society has faced, both historically and today. Highlights include Ecuador’s Teatro Malayerba’s heartbreaking double bill of plays exploring life, imprisonment and death during the Argentine dictatorship, Chile’s Teatro La Concepción’s buffonesque take on absolute power’s ability to corrupt absolutely, the brilliant Teatro de los Andes’ exploration of modern state corruption in Bolivia in a masterful double bill that re-imagines Hamlet and exposes political corruption in the wake of the Aiquile earthquake of 1998 and UK-based Tavarka’s 2012 Nuestra CASA Scratch Night winning new show about the Spanish Civil War.
Complementing these shows, CASA 2013 presents two new documentary films on the final weekend. Nina Simões presents Rehearsing Reality, a groundbreaking interactive documentary on Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed as a tool for social change in Brazil’s Landless Movement while Yuri Pirondi and Ines Von Bonhorst present Tierra Firme, a provocative journey through the emotional and physical landscapes of political theatre in Latin America. The film features the work of Teatro de los Andes.

Completing the theatre programme are a beautiful shadow puppetry show from Brazil based on a Virginia Woolf short story and two delicate new plays on the theme of exile. Sobrevento, Brazil’s leading puppet theatre company, come to London for the very first time with their visually stunning shadow puppet show for young children; Ignacio Jarquin (also a scratch festival winner in 2012) presents his innovative one man opera sequel to Madame Butterfly and Susana Lastreto, part diva, part clown, all storyteller, recounts the story of how she left Argentina for Paris, the world she left, the world she discovered and the gap in between.

For the fourth year running, Nuestra CASA Scratch Night returns to unearth five emerging UK-based Latin American theatre-makers or artists. Each company/artists will present between ten to 15 minutes of a new idea they want to develop into a full show. A jury made up of leading arts professionals will then choose one company to develop their idea towards a full production for CASA 2014 and that company will receive a cheque for £3000. Previous winners include Vicky Araico Casas who subsequently won a Fringe First for her fully developed scratch festival winning piece Juana in a Million.
In addition to the theatre and film programme, we are also delighted to announce our most ambitious programme of debate, art, music, workshops and community events.

Every day of CASA 2013, we will be offering audiences insights into Latin American theatre, culture and politics through pre-show talks, post-show Q&As and most intensively at our first CASA Symposium, held in association with Out of the Wings, KCL, ILAS and Canning House.
World Press Photographer Award Winner Julio Etchart presents a new exhibition of photos detailing thirty years of Latin American London while CASART winners Onion Lullaby Collective invite you to pick up the phone and dive into a secret magical alternative London.
CASA is equally delighted to announce live performances by Cumbé, Movimientos presents Lokandes and Los Charly’s Orchestra. With three of London’s favourite Latin bands getting the party going, it’s a perfect opportunity to get those feet moving and those hips shaking.
For theatre practitioners of all experiences, each of the international visiting artists will be running a workshop offering insights about the stories they tell and how they work theatrically.
Finally, in line with our growing engagement to work with the Latin American community, our biggest programme of community events takes place this year. Under the banner of Open CASA, these include Footclowning - where comedy meets football - and a new show based on Latin American folktales and performed by our recently formed Open CASA Community Theatre company.

We can't wait to see you there and experience some good Latin American theatre and stories.

See you at our Opening!