 This is part of this session, the one we have at La Parísia for Aman Yanid, who are ready to present this session in the press for the dramaturgies of Gabi as the receiver of the grant from the LMD-8 in 2019. And now she's going to tell us what she has done with the money. Hello there everybody, thank you for being part of this. Thank you for those of you who are watching through streaming services. Now before we go into this topic at hand, I'm going to talk to you about how the project came to be, where the idea came from. Next, we don't have specialized schools in the education of dramaturgies. We only have a few subjects from the undergraduate degrees. The theater and the university have this. The study, we have five areas. Acting, design, production, theater, theory, and dramaturgies. But when it comes mostly to the creation of text, you would say the formation of a play, right? Not the way in which you would understand the actual work of a dramaturg. In the sense, the teachers that give these subjects have to deal with production, design, and theater, theory, and specifically that one, which is the one that actually encompasses our dramaturgies. But we don't have specific subjects in any school in the country. So every teacher or professor decides how deep they want to go into the topic. And after observing this panorama, the objective of the exhibition was to open an area of experimentation for young dramaturgs in Mexico. And this thing I can think of, I was listening to this word, which is expedition was the idea of a journey of a trip. So this part is not a literal mathematical fabric, as doing research deals with actual traveling, to encountering yourself, to sharing information. This is how I recognize the work of a dramaturg. The expedition's beginning is individuality, but the findings are shared. This expedition, the LMDA gave the, wanted to be part of this patronage effort. Without these, without this organization, the project would have never seen the light of day. All the teams need a part of the LMDA to become consolidated. That's why I have Paloma Bonilla and Jeanette Villa with me, as well as Celeste Díaz, who unfortunately couldn't join us, but will join us. We also have the names of other creators that were part of this journey. So the project began in 2019 and experimented the changes brought about by the pandemic. So we shared different examples from both in the digital world, and in the broadest terms, the expedition consisted of three stages. The presentation is actually moving, but it should be moving. We don't need to help us with that. So in other terms, this is the three stages. And first off, this is where we traced our space of exploration and the moment of creation. These stages will be explained by my colleague. We'll see now the first part of all of Jeanette will tell you of the findings of the first stage. I will talk to you specifically of my experience in the workshop, and Gabby asked us at some point what were the experiences and the gains throughout this process, and it's time that we have to share this with you because in 2019, we began working together at a coffee shop. We had at that workshop, Diego Paloma, who is the left hand myself, and it is important to point out that the people that were part of this project are, instead of having certainties, we have more questions. What does a dramaturg do? After the first two sessions, Hugo left, and only the people from the faculty of philosophy and arts were left. I remember that in the first session, Gabby talked about studies and PhD studies to become a dramaturg, but we are here in Mexico, and unfortunately, there are no places to become a specialist in this line of art, and this is a self-learning journey. So where have you heard of this particular collaborator who has been in practice? Have you worked with her? Well, many of us have had a link with a dramaturg, and this is why we were there. We gathered, and this is how the workshop began, a specific area of questions. As travelers, we began to build a common ground to dialogue from our divergencies, and at the end of the workshop, Diego couldn't continue, and only Gabby, Paloma, Celeste, Jasmin and myself were left. In order to build an installation from the findings that we had from this workshop, we decided to work together, and if I were to think of whatever happened there, for me, it was an amazing experience, because I found partners that were in the process of actually becoming bona fide dramaturgs, like it is my case, or that were maybe interested in exploring the side of the work line, and everybody was ultimately interested in dramaturgy, and what it does, working with a dramaturg, in the end. When it comes to the workshop, I was in a process of doing lab work with the Dato, and we needed a person to be part of the research work that implied this new clinic lab, and because I heard of this line of work, I surmised that we needed the services of a dramaturg, and this is how I expected what I wanted to do. I would find myself with these women, and to me that was an enriching experience to be part of this exhibition, because other than just doing a historical recount of what we were doing, and put on the table the work that we had engaged in, it was also provided a space in which we appropriate the word of the dramaturg in Mexico, and what does the collective mean? Well, we made decisions in joint decisions guided by Gaby, who was very open to let us make decisions after a list to build an intimate area of exhibition amongst ourselves to establish bridges in our cleaning proposals, and the spaces in which we generated thoughts, and in fact, I struggle to recap. Where does the word dramaturg come from? Well, we approached the first critic who ever thought of the audience, blessing the classes we had in our undergraduate degrees. We heard him by name, and so at the beginning of the workshop we didn't really know of that particular individual and of his work, so we started to study him, and those who came to themselves as dramaturgs, and that made everything so clear to us, and it's important to point out that the bibliography that we approached appealed to Latin American voices, which was very difficult to find researchers that named themselves as dramaturgs, and we also found a lot of problems in translating dramaturg and dramaturgists into Spanish because unfortunately it's not compiled in our Spanish dictionary. The work of the dramaturg and dramaturgy, what exactly is that? This question has been part of us, and for me it was quite significant because it modified the way in which I did theater. Of course it is not just the text, it is also the space in itself, the context, the musicality, and the organization. All of those who designed something for the stage are dramaturgs of the stage, that is they do the work of the dramaturg, and through the appearance of new words like dramaturgical, dramaturgism, et cetera, et cetera, we had to come in to agree in as to what we would call our line of work. We are dramaturgs and go throughout the city, sharing a cup of coffee and enriching the scene, questioning the models of production because at a different level our work is not principal yet. We're not in normal payrolls, and when we talk to other collaborators they tell us, what do you do, it's interesting, but is it entirely necessary to have a person like that, and for us, asking what we were doing was a complex question because we were to think of the senior modes of production in Latin America, and next we realize that whatever role you perform, whether you're a dramaturg director, is an actress, a choreographer, assistant, and so on and so on, you end up not working in your area, but you actually would go into the area as a father, to complete the area as a father. This is why it is important to actually name the work of dramaturgs for what it is, because we create a record, the memory of what happens if we put on the table how significant our line of work is, how we wanted to look for new dramaturgs into the Mexican stage because we had other spaces at the UNAM University, we talked to each other, we realized that this particular figure didn't exist, because we don't have a faculty to teach you. We also realized that this premise was obsolete and we think that the way in which we do our line of work is not the same and it doesn't correspond to an academic need, but a practical one. What happens when you work with a person that is actually in charge of making sure that they create processes where the lines really happen. If we have these phases, then the results can be extraordinary and this is where the dramaturgic appears. They expand in a cross-cutting fashion. So the workshop was a place in which we generated our own tools of experience. We thought of new places in which we could work at as a dramaturg. We started working on literature, music, dance, film, and festivals. Amongst others, we did a research and we learned new trades as a response to our process. I remember that at some point when we were building the installation that Paloma will talk to you about, at some point we wanted to look for names of dramaturgs in the programs and for me that was quite fun and exciting to try to find programs and we saw that we would appear there in the main programs. Amongst other memories that I keep close to my heart is Gabi told us that we were to think of ten words that I would define the work of the dramaturg. And for me it is actually very complicated to emphasize. So I would phase the stereotype of the dramaturg and structure dramaturg that would be founded actually. So in this process I realized that I am not part of the stereotype and that when I saw my peers working I realized that they work from a different perspective and different practices without having to ensure that other groups would know how to do the research because in the end we are young dramaturgs and do new research and to think outside of the box or to push the envelope to be fair and to find new tools and that we could learn together. This workshop made me more critical of myself and asked myself the type of work that I wanted to do as a dramaturg. This is still valuable because although the dramaturg is critical of herself and others they have to be critical of their processes and take care of each other because the dramaturg is there to become a mediator of a conflict. That could be complicated. That could be complicated and for me to have been with Celeste, Hans, Gaby and Paloma offered an opportunity to rethink theater from another standpoint a standpoint of emotional and constructive criticism and to be a dramaturg means to break away from the production where in the past the only one who did this work was the director. If there's something that we like as dramaturgs it is to make creation something collective as well as research make it collective and at all times appealing to the other the observer. I would now ask Hasmin who is going to show us a video that she carried out is now going to talk about the last part of our workshop. Hello, my name is Hasmin. I'm a dramaturg and a Mexican woman. If I think about this workshop I'm thinking on a large scale and then we can draw up the work of an expedition here as a dramaturg in Mexico and I would rethink the workshop as a space of constant reflection and creation precise creation and we will explain a little bit what the work of the dramaturg over history entails. During the workshop we were thinking about not just the European origin but also the work of Mexican dramaturgs women and we touched on the need of dramaturgs and now we know that there are different situations and many voices that we found we found out that there were many people working here and many people who did fall in love with this work so what we began exploring in the workshop consisted in determining what our job precisely was going to be what our image was to be and our place in the Mexican scene those three factors were something that directed us throughout the workshop and then when Gabi told us that we that we had to come up with an idea of how to resort to the different files but the source of this video is very distorted we are doing our best these are spaces we're allowed to think we're allowed to build on this in one of the sessions Gabi sat us down and said a little bit about what these places bring to mind and certainly we were thinking about the space and how we build metaphors here and for this installation we were going to have to build something new out of it so we began on this journey of discovery and on the messages that were going to accompany us we looked at certain images and I took notes copious notes and these are with me at all times there are moments and memories and thoughts that lead us to think about things from a different perspective also with me at all times is this little book it's a small notebook that never left my side throughout the process a notebook and it was our travel companion and there's a cactus plant here and I don't know why but as a dramaturge we carry several totems around with us and we were trying to trying to build four dramaturges from dramaturges and the world that is starting to take notice of us this goes back to the idea of thinking that sometimes we are in a workspace and we are seated and in a dialogue and this means of communication and the producer sitting in the director's chair what about the designer's chair what about the actor's chair what do these all look like what about the dramaturge's chair and it was a huge step forward to confront this and very often the dramaturge like to be behind a closed door looking at the scene unfolding whispering and I think it's a magical figure and the group of dramaturges trying to understand how to go about this it was a confrontation for us and in my case it opened up my mind to rethink my work the passion that dramaturges face elsewhere we also face it here and embrace it in Mexico this passion that dramaturge who is watching who is listening who is thinking not just about the work but everything that it entails it is constantly on our mind it's crazy, it's revolutionary okay that was Hass and now let's move to this next step which is exploration and Paloma about this aspect the expedition there is a matter here of the idea of setting up and tearing down the idea of being part of a whole in essence the guiding thread that grants us this presence this workshop launched us headlong into the universe with several questions what is a dramaturge what does a dramaturge do how do they exist in what sphere and the question that Gabriela had already asked and that opened up the discussion here what does it look like here in Mexico in due time this process gave back to us, to ourselves and it's the idea of the mirror here and then we realize that this last question how is it that the dramaturge prevails in Mexico was pulling along another question how can we make the dramaturge and her work tangible here it might seem obvious but it turned out being the key to all of this nobody lives in a void and nobody lives within an abstract idea so we began there to think about and ask ourselves questions and we realize that one of the guiding threads here was going to be the manner in which we inhabit the world and the way we're doing this goes through what we are thinking about what we are absorbing but these objects that we are using to carry out our work as well are a part of our integral presence so as I said these objects took on the role of a guiding thread a compass warrant talking about an expedition and our guiding star the baggage that we began to work on in the workshop began to turn into something else when we added on this physical baggage the time came as occurs in all projects where we let the tension ease away and we began to expand and feel more comfortable with the process and there were times when we began to click amongst ourselves and play and become familiar this happened to me and I'm sure it was as rich for the rest of them because that's where we were able to discover that hive of things happening and I go back to what Hasmin said in the video why a cactus why a cactus Janet do you want to answer this question why a cactus yes yes it has to do with it's a metaphor a really nice one a cool one about our work referring to our work our resistance over time and how it is that although we are taking part in a scene that looks like a desert for our work we're right there and we're blooming flourishing working together and this cactus has two baby cacti and this is how we expand very well then as a result of this convergence and creating of connections and making sure that this world would be increasingly complex and growing we began to see a number of things happening but we also realized something very important and literally the light bulb came on regarding how important it is to stand by one another and we realized that we needed someone to become that ever present presence and that's how we reached this idea of having a guide and a trigger for the interaction that we wanted to have with our participants, with our audience and what we were looking at right there we didn't want to leave anyone alone and out of it and I say because this, because the pandemic happened and until that time we had quite a bit of work already done three different stages three different aspects of the work of the dramaturg that we had divided on as a mediator with collaborators the dramaturg also as a researcher and organizer and precisely as I mentioned a second ago this connection with the audience being with the audience and a couple of other things that we had thought of developing but so that you might have a clear idea of what this activation of the installation entailed we can read the letter that Celeste left with us Janet please do so a process for staging with five dramaturgs dramaturgs as creatures of creation and action the process for the installation was very short one month before being interrupted by the global crisis we were trying to recognize our will as dramaturgs and trying to lend meaning and listen to each one of the things we were receiving it wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't fast because in our process we were able to characterize our research in practice as well and the dramaturg did not stay seated and behind the play book but became part of the action and transformed it with the actor this link which is not opposite as we were taught in school the actor receives and allows the comments to reside in the dramaturg in practice time develops research processes and dramaturgs on his or her own we could say that this was especially fruitful if it were to be carried out in all processes joining efforts would appear to be an oxymoron practice research calm, energetic action, contemplation thinking, doing seat, scenario, dramaturg actor to be an actor of a stage is also launching oneself into the void trusting in the eyes of those who are watching you and the most intimate link in my opinion is created with the dramaturg it is not exactly who it is that is going to tell you what to do and what not to do but rather opening the road up before you like that uncle who is not as harsh as your father may be with you but may contain chaos and even be a mediator in the differences between the director and actor to act in front of so many dramaturgs represents a challenge of listening and exciting stimulation as well in our process the decision to become the activation actor in the installation the first time we performed made me think about self-inflicting as though it were a crime actions of a dramaturg while we were on stage and finally reconciliation took place for the actor also commits acts of dramaturgy very well having this background these foundations we can tell you that this moment was precisely one where we were very close together being where we were being and doing everything one for another breaking away from these hierarchical structures and arriving at the idea of horizontal aspects from the concentration and from these circles so let me tell you in major terms how far we reached with this exploration and I would like to remind you of the three times here the dramaturg as a mediator which was very quickly explained and here in exploration we reached a very clear image as Hasmin said where we began thinking about chairs and we began to think about what does the dramaturgs chair look like compared to the designers or the directors chair etc and this is where this came into play we are the subjects with what we are doing those chairs were representing these objects these objects that they were using and we also had a soundtrack that provided everything you might hear at a theater during the creation process these chairs or seats could be taken apart they weren't solid like these chairs that you see on stage and the ones you are seated on in order to encourage Celeste to activate them by creating new links by taking them apart and creating new ones this helped us to reach the next moment in time and that was the moment where the researcher and organizer came into play and here we added some other elements we now had additional tubes and the soundtrack was going to change a bit in this case the soundtrack was that of a city and that precisely it led us to the transition the transition to the city woke us up and there was a phrase it was like saying being Godzilla on this drawing here and let me tell you why we said to be like Godzilla we realized that we were creating a linkage between our reality and the micro reality in which we invited the audience to take part and that is directly where these began to be participants and here we were inviting them to shape this reality to mold it so were it was the connection with the audience we were relying on the fact that there would be very close rapport and then we reached a third short phase and it was then when the pandemic struck so we were unable to continue making progress and with this we moved to our next phase which we called expedition in times of the pandemic during which recent circumstances posed the challenge for every single one of us and it was an exercise in real time for our expedition and I'll tell you why throughout our exploration there were some phrases that this activating guide was going to use we had these words persistence, resilience patience ability to adapt in light of a crisis these are fundamental elements for any expedition for life itself for theater and for the path that the dramaturg embarks on and this became an experience an overwhelming one because we found ourselves launched into a new terrain new circumstances where we had to re-adapt and reshape everything that we had before us we had to come up with a new process to open up different systems and continue functioning we had to adapt we had to resist and as I said building and rebuilding as of all of that that we had already found so this soundtrack that we had in place began little by little to become what is next and that is a podcast and here is where I will leave you with Gabriela who can explain a little bit where we are heading with this podcast although the installation wasn't carried out the material that we had began to adapt to our new reality as Paloma said we found in the soundtrack a new path to embark on where we couldn't be together physically but yet there were meeting points we interviewed different creators at the beginning face to face and then during the pandemic to various digital means critiques, directors, actors journalists among others a few dramaturgs because the idea was to raise up the presence of the dramaturg through other voices we wanted to create a soundtrack and the guiding question was what does the dramaturg in Mexico sound like but the vast amount of information that we secured gave us enough material to create five podcasts and Eric Guerrero and Josh Varela joined efforts with us and they helped us to come full circle with his work we will now listen to our first edition of the podcast the first one and I would ask the technicians to help us with the podcast playing it great thank you for your help just click on it just one click click on video please click on the arrow in the center I think that's how we're going to get our soundtrack we hear a cacophony of background noise a lot of theoretical things knowing the discourse knowing from what points and angles it's going to be a show what it's doing what it's doing and on the other hand it also has practical tools to learn how to communicate how to communicate with the people who are working and those two parts we say consciously in the American tradition surely wrong the technologist has existed but in some way unconscious in some way intuitive they referred to me in the development of our theater as well as in the institution an official part a companion someone who can have a view of outside but can also be a person who can create a culture I think that if we talk about important important mediators I think what I would have to do is start to mobilize the imagination of the entire system ok, thank you thank you the simplicity of the voices that is who asks herself and she says that every episode would have different themes the first one that you've actually heard what a dramaturge does and what they are I reiterate that the answer that we can truly structure the majority from the voice of creators that are not dramaturges that can really focus on the collaboration of the dramaturgies the groups that collaborate to figure out the experiences that they have the third deals with the whole takes on this role and to think on whether there are institutions who are interested in this recognizing the figure whether it talks about the local convictions in Mexico and how dramaturges produce the current cultural processes and it invites you to think as to why did you decide to become a dramaturge likely it would have been easier to have the dramaturges of the staff and to be understanding the questions that we wanted to confront this old myth that nobody knows what dramaturges do in Mexico so the five podcasts will be available in different platforms and we'll be happy to hear your questions and recommendations about it and we're about to end so I would like to thank these two amazing girls the phase of adversity decided to continue and put on path as I said they had more members and only the women to thank the people who helped us re-making the vision of what a dramaturge is and I want to thank those that didn't want to collaborate with us this also changed our point of view this project I reiterate to open spaces of discovering this line of work in Mexico and Latin America we need areas in which we can encounter each other but also spaces of creativity we need spaces to play to doubt to mistakes and in this project I found a space to recognize myself understand that this line of work is not about flying solo that you has your own way of doing research and creating the diversity and identity are also enriching in our creative process and from this project I would like to point out the things of the young people at the beginning of this year people ask me whether the youth will be able to do dramaturgy if the youth can do dramaturgy or if it is a profession experience in age and I believe that there is also a need for the sector to have an establishment of this profession and the youth have responded to that call you look for a better panorama you find new motives to open up the way of being and then I discovered the drought this time where the motor of the drive of this new line of work and I find this project a practice what will make of this line of work to be understood in this country in a way in which our work is recognizes active part of the process if we can become more integrated it would seem as though we do have a name don't really exist so I desire other than studies on this information we need new moments of creation for the dramaturges of Mexico thank you for listening to my presentation sorry about that it will leave you with our social network if you want to come to us or for any questions or comments and it will be happy to hear from you and any questions you might have and to collaborate with you further down the line thank you