They are from Rocha, they formed their own troupe among journalists, magicians and teachers, and now they are bringing it to Montevideo

Written and published in 1992, He closed his eyes This is a farce Dinosaur weapons The play has been performed several times on Uruguayan stages. Also in Argentina, the musical version of this comedy takes place in two adjacent houses, presenting very different scenes: in one house Tita is being watched, in the other Natalio’s wedding is being celebrated.

Now, from Friday to Sunday, the comedy will have new performances and will be directed by Roche. Backgroundwill be held at the Stella Theatre, with tickets on sale through Redtickets for $550.

“it is Uruguayan drama classicsas Waiting for the carriage“The grotesque that defines us all,” José Pereira, director Contraescena Theatre Companywas born in Rocha 23 years ago.

Contraescena has performed at the Cultural Center of Montevideo and has Florencio Award Nomination In 2021, in the category of Capital Indoor Theatre, Made in Lanus By Nellie Fernandez Tiscogna. This will be their first foray into the commercial circuit.

“The greatest reward is having people by our side. The best thing for an artist and for me as a director is to feel the laughter, the applause, the recognition, because without the audience the magic of the theater is incomplete,” Pereira said.

He arrived at the Stella Theatre in Dinosaur weaponsAfter the comedy premiered at the theater in Rocha on May 25. “Why don’t they bring the work to Montevideo?” Armas asked him. The question made him ponder.

Photo: Kindness.

“When we came last time, they already had some imagination about us. Now we take another step: to go to Montevideo and be seen,” Pereira stressed.

“I’ve worked in the theater for 30 years and as a theater worker I love to host shows, to host people, in short, to host the theater; we received a lot. Now we ourselves go out to give back,” he said. “It’s very difficult, but it shouldn’t be, because it takes two and a half hours to get from Rocha to Montevideo. It shouldn’t be difficult, because if a company from far away can do it, then it’s not impossible,” he added.

Yet when Armas asked him this question, the first thing that Pereira and his actors thought was: “He’s crazy, he’s wrong.” Then, they calmly began to calculate what it would mean to have an independent indoor team in a private room in the capital. They began to knock on the door. This Rocha City The company contributed part of the funds and another part of the funds to cover the transportation, food and accommodation expenses of the 13 translators on this short journey.

Pereira added: “None of us do theatre for a living, otherwise the stories would be different and we will be bringing three different shows, each created by one or two actors.”

Graciela FernandezThe journalist in “Rocha” and actress in “Contraescena”, in which she plays Hortensia, commented that the cast has become a big family and, most importantly, a lot of fun.

“I think it connects to this comedy because people can identify with one character in the play, but in this comedy we feel we identify with several characters. When it comes to me, it’s the old mob that criticizes everything, but it’s very Catholic because in the house next door they are celebrating a wedding and drama breaks out,” commented the actress.

“Theatre is pure therapy, it takes away my inhibitions because no one thinks I’m shy,” Fernandez said. “I can go to a show with a thousand questions, but I forget everything when I’m on stage for rehearsal,” he added.

José Pereyra works as a lighting technician in the theater, another actor works in the field, and the campus also has teachers, psychologists, magicians and a photographer who works as a photographer in the play. “We are independent and we all have the same goal: to be able to show ourselves,” said the director.

“We have a beautiful theater that people love because the theater in Rocha is one of the best in the interior. Even though it is said that no one in their land is a prophet, we are prophets in our land and now we want to expand this further,” Pereira added.

Therefore, arriving in Montevideo, in addition to making the company known, has helped to create a network of exchanges with other actors and theaters. “We come and you go, and this enriches all of us. We all have to go to different places to make different proposals. If they know us today, we can come back later with another work,” Pereira says.

Fernandez added: “We all need to enjoy, laugh, have a good time and what’s better than laughing, laughing a lot because after that you can go to bed happy.”

“You laugh when you watch this comedy, but if you go to dinner, you start to understand that this character looks like your aunt, another like a friend, and you no longer remember only the joke,” Pereira commented, “because under your breath you make you think about many topics.”