{"id":467,"date":"2020-05-09T14:54:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-09T14:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/?p=467"},"modified":"2022-02-05T13:01:27","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T13:01:27","slug":"mexico-theatre-in-intensive-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/mexico-theatre-in-intensive-care\/","title":{"rendered":"MEXICO: Theatre in Intensive Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lorena Meeser<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coronavirus pandemic has had a substantial impact on the performing arts in Mexico. Theatre productions are on indefinite pause. The curtains are closed until further notice, which puts at risk the survival of the theatre in Mexico, as the infrastructure of most companies will not last for several months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical distancing requirements and the closure of many venues have restricted not only public performances but also rehearsals, and many productions had been postponed or even cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The theatre vocation has always been a financially uncertain one, and this health emergency has exposed even further the fragility of the Mexican theatre community. Many companies and artists are in total economic distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actors and theatre companies are paying a heavy financial price. They have asked for urgent credit lines, cancellation of public show taxes and different support measures from the government; however, they have received no response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mexican Government recently cancelled the FONCA Scholarship that supported the work of artists. The national culture budget has been reduced to its lowest figure since 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only certainties are that the theatre scene is full of challenges and this crisis will end, sooner or later. When it is over, public policies related to the Mexican cultural sector must be discussed (more here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing is certain: it will take a long time for the economy to recover. Moreover, confidence in human contact will also be slow to be restored and that, of course, will increase the hesitation of people to attend theatre or other events in the public sphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cthe show must go on\u201d has tempted many performing arts institutions to adapt by offering digital services, such as free online streaming of previously recorded productions and new shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actors, producers, musicians, writers and other creative artists are using Facebook<\/em>, Instagram<\/em>, Zoom<\/em> and other online platforms to either organize conferences and meetings, or to build online creative communities (by inviting people to purchase tickets for further shows, engage in workshops or take theatre classes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexican society is seriously ill. It is suffering from rampant corruption, drastic insecurity, internal and external contamination, widespread poverty, suffocating politics, cultural insufficiency, anaemic economic support, editorial cancer, historical anmnesia, and general negligence. Theatre is currently in intensive care, and we have to prevent its collapse. Many treatments have failed, and we, who love theatre, are the doctors and nurses who will cure it. That will be our salvation. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*<\/a>Lorena Meeser<\/strong> was born in Mexico City. She is director of the magazine Visi\u00f3n Empresarial Quer\u00e9taro<\/em>. She has contributed as a theatre critic to numerous media outlets, and has directed several theatre productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2020 Lorena Meeser
Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creative<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-mex-400.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":473,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/poland-internet-theatre-and-insufficient-state-support-for-the-artists\/","url_meta":{"origin":467,"position":0},"title":"POLAND: Internet-theatre and Insufficient State Support for the Artists","author":"Lorena Meeser","date":"May 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Tomasz Mi\u0142kowski* Theatres in Poland have been closed since March 12, 2020. Likewise, cinemas, restaurants, cafes and sports facilities. The pandemic has frozen economic and social life. The theatre\u2014after a short, initial period of shock\u2014has moved temporarily to the internet; actually, it has had a presence there for a long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-pl-400.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":496,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/slovakia-virtual-centenary-of-slovak-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":467,"position":1},"title":"SLOVAKIA: Virtual Centenary of Slovak Theatre","author":"Lorena Meeser","date":"May 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Zuzana Ulicianska* There is never a right time for a crisis. However, the pandemic hit Slovak theatre at an extremely sensitive time. On March 1, 2020, a\u00a0special programme, combining opera, ballet and drama, made in honour of the centenary of Slovak Theatre, took place in the historic building of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-svk-400.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":421,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/japan\/","url_meta":{"origin":467,"position":2},"title":"JAPAN: Theatre is Life","author":"Lorena Meeser","date":"May 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ken\u2019ichi Yamamoto* As in many other parts of the world, theatre in Japan has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, not because the artists and technicians have contracted the virus, but because they have had to cancel performances in response to the \u201cself-restraint request\u201d by governments, both national and local,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-japan-400.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":541,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/theatre-in-montenegro-an-unfinished-cultural-transition\/","url_meta":{"origin":467,"position":3},"title":"Theatre in Montenegro: An Unfinished Cultural Transition","author":"Lorena Meeser","date":"May 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Maja Mr\u0111enovi\u0107* Artistic activities in Montenegro (population 630,000) are still largely characterized by a traditional approach, with very little interdisciplinary experimentation and social engagement. The theatre system is disjointed and unevenly distributed[1]: the standard bearers of its theatre activity are the two national theatres\u2014the Montenegrin National Theatre in Podgorica and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Reports"","block_context":{"text":"National Reports","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/national-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/image8-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/image8-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/image8-2.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/image8-2.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":935,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/czech-republic-austerity-of-movement-and-theatre-on-screen\/","url_meta":{"origin":467,"position":4},"title":"CZECH REPUBLIC: Austerity of Movement and Theatre on Screen","author":"Lorena Meeser","date":"May 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Martina Peckov\u00e1 \u010cern\u00e1*, Michal Zah\u00e1lka**, Jana N\u00e1vratov\u00e1*** Mapping Losses and the Set of Measures to Save Culture On March 11, 2020, the Czech government introduced extraordinary measures in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague has been mapping their impact on the cultural sector since\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/06\/flag-czech.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":597,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/argentina-never-abandon-the-theatre-even-in-the-toughest-situations\/","url_meta":{"origin":467,"position":5},"title":"ARGENTINA: \u201cNever Abandon the Theatre, Even in the Toughest Situations\u201d","author":"Lorena Meeser","date":"May 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Halima Tahan Ferreyra* Most theatres in Argentina, both big and small, are offering a variety of online programmes, including not only their past shows, but also their new activities. Moreover, the greatest theatres, such as Col\u00f3n Theatre and Nacional Cervantes Theatre, are keeping their workshops working fully. The employees at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/argentina.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1119,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467\/revisions\/1119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}