The montage of the Mala Madre Company tells the story of two girls who must talk about a hero of the homeland, for which they choose the mother of one of them: Cecilia Magni, the “Commander Tamara”, militant of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front.
“La compañera” is the fourth work of the theater cycle 6 Stories of Dictatorship and Human Rights, organized by the Museum, and is presented this Thursday 28, Friday 29 and Saturday 30 at 20 hours, with free performances.
Mixing historical facts with elements of fiction, the plot problematizes the link between a daughter and her absent mother, and proposes a reflection on the political options that, at the personal and family level, can involve losses and pains.
“We are interested in giving value to the political role of women in social demands in Chile and Latin America,” says the director, Carla Romero, who adds that they seek to value the historical dimension of “our daily life and our relationships, for example, in the case of motherhood, which is important not only in one’s own room, but also in social history.”
Romero is also the author of the text, together with the Argentine writer Laura Agorreca, a work that began with an inquiry into the lives of women guerrillas in various countries of the continent. As the dramaturgy progressed, it focused specifically on the life of Cecilia Magni, and on her love affair with her daughter, which was reflected in personal letters and other writings.
The director and playwright points out, in this context, the importance of addressing this type of issue, despite the fact that certain voices point out that the dictatorship is a theme of the “past”. “The play just asks the question of why keep talking about these issues, and it is because they are our mothers, they are our grandmothers, so it is very difficult to close it. It’s not just about remembering it, it’s about activating a present with that.”
Thus, the story takes place in the present, speaks of people of today -in this case, two students who have to make a dissertation-, and makes a reflection from this present on the dictatorship. “The political choice of this mother implies losses, so there is heroism and admiration, but there is also criticism,” concludes Romero.
“La compañera” has the performances of Mariana Muñoz and Claudia Cabezas, and after a virtual premiere forced by the pandemic, it has had presentations at the GAM and the Lluvia de Teatro Festival in Valdivia.
At the end of the performance on Saturday, the public will have the opportunity to dialogue with the director and actresses, as well as throughout the cycle, before each function the public can be part of the intervention “The people will not have another way”, interactive montage composed of video games, audios and video art, made by the theater company “La Junta”, which evokes the attack on Pinochet carried out by the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) in 1986.
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