XXX Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro, Cádiz: Family and the Representation of Latin American Masculinities

The thirtieth Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro took place in Cádiz, October 16-24, 2015. One of the highlights of this festival has been the accompanying Encuentro de Mujeres, which celebrated its nineteenth gathering this year. Keeping in mind the significance given by the festival to gender with this annual conference, I will look at the representation of men and their masculinities in the plays brought this year to Cádiz. In line with theorists of men’s studies, I would like to focus on men as gendered beings.

The term machismo is quite often discussed in relation to Latin American men almost as a synonym of sexism in patriarchal societies. Conversely, applying gender theory and terminology such as hegemonic, supportive, or marginal masculinities to the representation of men in Latin American theatre must also take the question of power into consideration. Feminist and gay movements have, in one way or another, affected gender relations and the traditional values that determine the distribution of power in contemporary societies. The frequency with which these changes are addressed as a masculinity crisis is seen with reservations by feminist theorists. A crisis in the parameters of masculinity could imply that things were at some time “stable” and men imposed their power almost “naturally.” Although I agree with these reservations, most of the male characters considered here prove to be either very far away from or in clear conflict with the hegemonic masculinity ideals of their time.

The three plays to be discussed are not all that new: the most recent one is No daré hijos, daré versos, from 2013. El sistema solar is a year older, and El loco y la camisa is a collaborative creation first staged in 2008. One of the possible reasons why they still circulate in international festivals might be the fact that they are family plays, that is to say, their main conflict takes place within a family setting. Audiences can easily relate to the problems of family and couples even if they take place in a different time and culture. The microcosm of the family can also represent a whole society and the apparently personal issues can be translated into major moral, political, or social matters.

Photo: Víctor López, Archivo FIT

Written by Nelson Valente in collaboration with the Banfield Teatro Ensemble, El loco y la camisa was one of three plays representing Argentina in the festival. Gender roles in the Argentinian family represented here are quite traditional; the father José is the one who works outside the house while the mother Matilde is a housewife. He constantly complains about how his wife does not make his mate right, but it never occurs to him that he could just make it himself. On the other hand, he is very proud of his abilities as a repairman in the house. During the opening scene, Matilde irons while her husband reads the newspaper. She finds a lipstick stain on one of José’s shirts and the latter invents a story that, despite its absurdity, she insists on believing. At some point, José acts abusively towards both his wife and son. The play takes place the day that the daughter María brings her fiancé Mariano to the house for the first time. During their conversation with him, it becomes clear that the future planned for María is very similar to her mother’s life. Mariano’s social class and economic status implicate a different set of values that do not allow him, for instance, to appreciate José’s pride in the repairs that he made to their modest house. But when it comes to María, her fiancé can only imagine her as completely dedicated to him. Notwithstanding Matilde’s fear of losing her daughter and José’s discomfort for not completely understanding Mariano’s world, the only one who really says something about the situation of both women is Beto, the “crazy” son. The marginality of his mental condition prevents Beto’s masculinity from...