Supporting Theater as a Priority Policy in Mexico

It is currently on the theatrical billboard of Mexico City Persona, an adaptation of the film by Ingmar Bergman. The author of the adaptation, producer and director is the renowned actor Gutenberg Brito, who got from his cast an emotional representation of the classic with few dialogues, but with performances of immense acting quality. The games with the lighting and the continuous live musical accompaniment complement and enrich the assembly in such a way that one feels in the presence of a masterpiece on stage. Be sure to watch it, it is a fascinating and timeless exploration of different classic themes from childhood and the relationship between a mother and her son, to relationships, eroticism and domestic violence. The work enjoys a noteworthy touch of today, but it is possible to notice its roots in the best of the film art of the last century. You will enjoy a free tea from the comfort of your seat in the Salvador Novo Theater of the National Center for the Arts, while being dazzled by the performances of all the artists involved in the show.

Now, for the purposes of this column, it is very important to highlight the great difficulties that the artists had to overcome, and Gutemberg Brito in particular, to stage the work. Support for theater in Mexico has drastically decreased in recent years. Not only the subsidies from the federal government, but from the state and not to mention the embassies accredited in this city. It is convenient to reflect on the lack of a theatrical audience, since it is mostly interested in large commercial productions, but also on the possibility of developing that audience through better incentives and support from public and private entities. The director tries to produce a comprehensive aesthetic experience for the viewers through different stage resources, but he has not managed to attract the crowds that require this type of production to survive. Cultural policy, which in Mexico has never been a priority, has become even less important in the current administration. We would gain a lot from a comprehensive policy to promote theater as an educator of the taste and intelligence of audiences. It is not for nothing that the peoples with the richest theatrical tradition are the freest and most prosperous in the world. Renowned theater companies such as the Comedie-Française, the Royal Shakespeare Company, or the Royal National Theater in London are a source of international pride for France and England respectively, while among us the National Theater Company and not to mention other companies small like the one that Person rode in the CENARTThey barely have public visibility. Huge budget expenditures are not required, better advertising efforts in spaces such as the subway, bus stops and the social networks of cultural authorities would suffice. If instead of using public television channels to promote the partisan agenda of the government in turn, space was given to Mexican artists, history would take a different course. The Mexican artistic and cultural community, like the scientific community, has paid dearly for its blind and uncritical support for López Obrador. They have received inconceivable budgetary punishments in previous administrations. However, we must remember that what Mexico loses in science and culture is not damage exclusively to those guilds in their contemporary operation, but damage to future generations of Mexicans. It would be time for the opposition to approach the intellectual communities (artistic and scientific) to establish a joint proposal with a view to the integration of a shared agenda for 2024. The aesthetic, cultural and scientific formation of Mexicans can and should be a priority policy.