ESCENA AUSTRAL

Escena Austral is a theatre and education festival based in the city of Frutillar, in Chile’s Los Lagos Region, created to connect southern Chile with audiences across the country. Founded by Antonia Santa María, Álvaro Viguera (La Santa), and Magdalena Leighton (Alipio), in collaboration with Teatro del Lago, the festival brings together theatrical performances, educational programs, and audience engagement activities to celebrate the month of theatre from the south of Chile.

The festival’s first edition took place from May 11 to 21, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led us to adapt the entire program into a digital format.

With the goal of creating an online program that could reach audiences throughout Chile and beyond from the southern region of the country, we produced a digital theatre festival broadcast from the KIWI studios at Teatro del Lago in Frutillar, hosted by actress María José Mira. All activities were conceived, created, and produced remotely.

The main activities of Escena Austral 2021 included:

Escena Austral Opening / World Theatre Day Celebration

The festival opened with the presentation of the digital production Breath, alongside a tribute to the admired Chilean actress Delfina Guzmán in recognition of her remarkable artistic career.

3×3: Where Is the Future?

Three digital productions created by nine artists from across Chile and the southern region explored the question, Where Is the Future? Each group of three artists developed a theatrical response to the theme, followed by a public discussion with the three principal creators.

Marlén and Marlon: A Small Theatre Company’s Adventures

A family radio drama created in collaboration with the acclaimed theatre company Tryo Teatro Banda. The series was distributed through digital platforms and local radio stations.

Theatre-Making in Company

A panel discussion featuring three Chilean theatre companies: CHILE-NO from Puerto Montt, La Canalla from Punta Arenas, and the nationally renowned company Tryo Teatro Banda. The conversation explored collaborative creative processes and theatre-making across different regions of Chile.

Applied Theatre Seminar

Twenty scholarships were awarded to school teachers, enabling them to explore theatre as a pedagogical tool for their classrooms.

Led by Verónica García Huidobro and Luna Del Canto from Teatro La Balanza, the seminar consisted of two stages: a twelve-hour intensive workshop held during Escena Austral, followed by online mentoring throughout the remainder of the year. Participants who completed the program received certification from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in December.

This initiative, created by La Santa and Alipio, was co-produced by Teatro del Lago and made possible through the collaboration of Fundación Mustakis, Fundación Olivo, Fundación Plades, Biblioteca Frutillar, Centro Cultural GAM, Kiwi Producciones, and the Teatro del Lago School of the Arts. The project was sponsored by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and supported by media partners T13 Radio, Radio Oasis, RadioPlay, Emisor Podcasting, and Ciudad Creativa TV.

Together, these partnerships allowed us to focus on a carefully curated program of activities that established a clear identity for the festival and laid the foundation for what we hope Escena Austral will continue to become in future editions.

This vision led to the festival’s second edition, held May 6–8, 2022, this time as an in-person event.

ESCENA AUSTRAL 2022

The second edition of Escena Austral—and its first to be held in person—took place from May 6 to 8, 2022. It proved to be a rich and highly successful experience, fostering meaningful encounters and new collaborations among artists from across Chile.

Escena Austral 2022 Opening

The festival opened with a tribute at Teatro del Lago’s Amphitheatre, honoring the extraordinary career of actress, director, and theatre educator Verónica García Huidobro, whose lifelong dedication to theatre—and especially theatre education—has inspired generations of artists and teachers.

2×3: What Do I Inhabit?

Two creative teams, each composed of artists from across Chile and southern Chile, explored the question What Do I Inhabit?, resulting in two original solo performances presented on the festival’s opening night.

Following the performances, actress María José Mira moderated a discussion with the six principal creators. The overall stage and visual design for both productions was created by Gabriela Torrejón.

Theatre Program – Tronador Hall

Gladys, written and directed by actress, playwright, and director Elisa Zulueta, celebrated ten years on stage with a special performance at Teatro del Lago’s Tronador Hall.

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly, Teatro del Canto’s acclaimed adaptation of Luis Sepúlveda’s beloved novel for children and family audiences.

The production was also presented free of charge in concert format at the Frutillar Public Library.

Following both performances, María José Mira moderated conversations between the creative teams and the audience.

Professional Development

Performing Arts Workshops, Free workshops were held at Kopernikus School in Frutillar for performing artists from the Los Lagos Region—including musicians, dancers, circus artists, actors, and other professionals and emerging artists.

The directors of the productions presented during the festival each led a practical workshop based on their own artistic methodologies:

• Contemporary Methodologies for the Performing Arts, led by Paula Aros Gho (2×3: What Do I Inhabit?)
• Acting Through Andrés Pérez Araya’s Staging Methodology, led by Iván Álvarez de Araya (2×3: What Do I Inhabit?)
• From Story to Word, and from Word to Song, led by Elvira López and Cristian Molina (The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly)
• Understanding Realist Theatre, led by Elisa Zulueta (Gladys)

Applied Theatre Seminar

Twenty scholarships were awarded to school teachers to explore theatre as a pedagogical tool in their classrooms.

Led by Verónica García Huidobro and Luna Del Canto from Teatro La Balanza, the seminar consisted of a twelve-hour in-person intensive during Escena Austral, followed by online mentoring throughout the rest of the year. Participants who completed the program received certification from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in December.

Creators’ Gathering

The festival concluded with a series of professional gatherings that brought together theatre companies and cultural managers from the Los Lagos Region with the artists participating in Escena Austral. An additional meeting focused on creative education was held in collaboration with Teatro La Balanza.

Despite the success of its first two editions, Escena Austral was unable to hold a third edition due to funding constraints.

We are especially grateful to Fundación Olivo and Fundación Mustakis for believing in and supporting this inspiring project, and we hope to bring Escena Austral back in the future.

Año2021 & 2022

ClasificaciónTE

Duración4 days