Teatro por la identidad: Derechos humanos e identidad en el teatro argentino de la posdictadura

This research project analyzes the political and social effect of Teatro por la identidad’s most prominent productions A propósito de la duda (2000) by Patricia Zangaro, and El archivista (2001) by Héctor Levy-Daniel, during the post dictatorship era in Argentine theater. I will draw attention to the military dictatorship (la Junta Militar) who seized power from 1974 to 1983, and was responsible for the disappearance of 30,000 Argentines and the displacement of over 500 children. In response to these violations, the performances have led to a resurgence in the establishment of human rights organizations in Argentina. Through the use of prior testimonies, recorded experiences, and Brechtian theatrical techniques, I argue that the purpose of these plays is to reconstruct memories and question the biological identity of its spectators. The production of A propósito de la duda by Zangaro and directed by Daniel Fanego inspired the creation of Teatro por la identidad. The play is composed of a string of monologues from testimonies by the Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo, the organization H.I.J.O.S. (Sons and Daughters for Identity and Justice Against Oblivion and Silence) and appropriators of children from the disappeared. The narratives of the testimonies serve to expose the audience to real archives and to acknowledge the importance of personal and national identities in the context of violence that attempted to erase the existence of opposing voices, ideologies individuals, and families. Levy Daniel’s El archivista also written for Teatro por la identidad questions the legitimacy of the archival evidence held by the government after the dictatorship and manipulates the concept of one’s memory. This essay will explain how both pieces intertwine the two worlds of reality and disillusion to activate the memory of the Argentine community while instigating a movement for social and political change