Enjoying the week's break does not necessarily imply attending only temples and pilgrimages. At least in Bogotá, there is a wide cultural offer that stands out during the Major Week, starting with the Ibero-American Theater Festival that ends with Resurrection Sunday.
However, there is an alternative for those who cannot access FITB's works or wish to participate in popular theater: the Bogotá Alternative Theater Festival, which has been held for 32 years, one in between (the last edition was held in 2020 with the pandemic) and which by 2022, aims to bring together the spectators around peace, life and memory.
For this year, the Colombian Theatre Corporation has prepared an extensive programme consisting of 80 face-to-face performances and 10 virtual performances with free access to the public for 24 hours; in addition, the Festival is made up of about 30 national groups and also the capital will be able to enjoy 10 international plays.
According to the poet, writer, feminist and director of FESTA, Patricia Ariza, for this 16th edition there will be several new features, the main one being the fact that the tables return to face-to-face until Sunday, April 17. In addition to that, something that was not counted on in previous seasons was extended virtuality and to which the world had to adapt, including the arts. Hence the urge to do theatrical days 24 hours a day so that those who cannot attend can watch part of the program from home or anywhere else outside the room.
It may interest you: Truth Commission will present its work at the Ibero-American Theater Festival in Bogotá
Now, with regard to face-to-face functions, they take place in La Candelaria, but they also have spaces in Centro Memoria and the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán theater, and until the end of the event there will be talks, workshops and forums to discuss topics related to tables and context.
The director also indicated in dialogue with Radio Nacional that the FESTA was held in parallel with the Ibero-American Theater Festival in order to show the diversity that exists within culture in the Colombian capital, with the differential factor that the latter offer a deck with popular predominance.
That is not to say that official entities do not show the best of this art to the public: the Truth Commission (which is also present at the FITB with 'Disclosures: A Song to the Four Winds'), presents at this festival 'Sunrise, Road to Peace', a story built with the feathers of William Ospina, Piedad Bonnet, Carlos Aristizábal and Patricia Ariza herself, on victims, conflict and peace, showing that conflict is an unavoidable problem for the whole country; ergo, all Colombians must end decades of internal struggle.
In addition, another work that was completely full was' DRACOVID ', by playwright and writer Sandro Romero Rey; however, despite being released in recent days, the people of Bogota will have a new chance to enjoy this title on April 19 and 20 at 7:30pm at the Teatro Libre.
Finally, to find out the full program of the festival you can go to the website of the Colombian Theater Corporation. There you can download the archive with the complete works, or you can consult them directly on the portal, where it details that stages such as Sala Seki-Sano (Calle 12 # 2 65, La Candelaria) is one of the main stages of the festival. You can also buy tickets at theatres ticket offices or directly on the site through eTicketaBlanca.
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