The Best Underground Theatre in Buenos Aires

Beckett Teatro has been active since 2005. Its creators are a group of people who took the work of the actor and director Miguel Guerberof as a reference. The project is inspired by the idea of ​​being a space for people to start. “Act without Words”, by the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, was the first play on stage, and since then, they have been presenting independent productions by Argentine and foreign authors.

The programming includes works by influential playwrights and directors as well as young creators. The theatrical activity of Beckett Teatro has been maintained over the years, offering a wide variety of local and foreign independent productions.

Abasto Theatre doors opened on May 21, 2002, with the sponsorship of famous actors  Agustín Alezzo and Norma Aleandro. The space, a former theatre hall, represented a perfect space for the couple of artists, after the closing of The Bajo Corrientes. They decided to paint the space green, a colour that also identified their website.

The construction of the Teatro del Abasto began in 2001, although its opening had to be postponed until the following year when the country overcame one of the most critical financial crises in history. Being one of the first theatre venues in the Abasto neighbourhood, nowadays it is surrounded by more than twenty similar spaces.

Abasto Theatre is a self-financing company that offers the stage not only to experienced directors but also to new talents.

El camaríin de las musas is a drama school, where alternative culture finds ways of expression beyond the theatrical movement.

With several stages and a large wooden staircase, its floors were designed especially for dance classes. The space has a restaurant with a typical black and white floor that is usually the meeting point for casts. El camarín de las musas is more than a theatre, it is a cultural space where works by plastic artists and different expressions of the artistic scene are also exhibited.

The history of the space is similar to the Abasto Theatre’s, since the room premiered at the end of 2001, with a single work and in a context of economic crisis. Dance and drama classes began shortly after, and today, it has a billboard of 750 performances per year.

The hall has 100 fixed seats and 40 removable seats, a large stage, a musicians’ pit and a circulation bridge located two metres high. Spectators are less than 20 metres from the stage, so visual and auditory perception is optimal.

Its productions contain a strong philosophical spirit and are presented as a space for research. Its name is inspired by “ Trilce ”, the most notable collection of poems by the Peruvian writer Cesar Vallejo.

The Bar Hasta Trilce offers a varied menu of drinks, pizzas, tapas and elaborate dishes that change weekly. In addition to being a meeting point and a space for debate, it has a small stage designed for musical shows, recitations and inspiring demonstrations. Its capacity is for 150 people.

Timbre 4 is one of the most important reference spots for underground theatre in the city. It offers renowned acting and training workshops for companies since it is a drama school. However, this school and theatre hall is called a House by its founders.

Conceived as a place for research and art productions, since 2001 it has been growing and combining the staging of its works with the training space, in which students and teachers develop techniques and experiences that enrich the on-stage experience.

The beginnings, amid the economic crisis, arose from the need to create a space to support dramatic art. Timbre 4 has two entrances, a door at the end of a hallway on Boedo Street, and another, along Mexico Street that leads to a patio, as is typical of residential houses.

The company Timbre 4 has been presenting its works at several international festivals. The hall not only offers a full program but also the rental of its rooms and stage is available.

The Carpinteria Theater was born in 2010 as an initiative of three young actresses: Alejandra Carpineti, Gabriela Irueta and Sol Tester.

This cultural space pursues the objective of promoting artistic expressions such as dance, music, drama and photography. The varied theatrical and musical shows are part of the activity of The Carpinteria Theater. They also focus attention on workshops in writing, acting, staging works for actors, acting training, acting initiation, contemporary dance plus theatre classes for children and adolescents.

With a capacity for 110 spectators, The Carpinteria Theater offers a modern system of mobile stands that adapts to any staging. It also has stage lighting and audio equipment, a dressing room and areas equipped for rehearsals.

The programming has a top-notch proposal that combines works by recognized independent directors along with works from emerging figures.

Teatro del Pueblo is said to be one of the first underground theatre halls in Argentina and Latin America. Created by journalist Leonidas Barletta In 1930, it was aimed to promote the political ideas of a particular group of artists: plus the criticism of commercial theatre. Delivering art to the masses was one of their mottoes, making the space a pillar of alternative culture. 

Numerous playwrights, musicians and visual artists passed through the stage; they performed street shows to bring art to the people. Currently, in addition to the plays on display, acting classes are also part of the activities.

Teatro del Pueblo operated in different spaces that Barletta’s creativity allowed to turn into theatrical halls. It has a long history of moves and modifications, even a pause after the death of its founder, and is operational nowadays.

Grupo de Teatro Catalinas Sur is an artistic project, made up of residents of the La Boca neighbourhood who, years ago, joined the call “community theatre”. In its beginnings, the group used to perform at the neighbourhood squares, but currently, Grupo de Teatro Catalinas Sur offers space for more than 500 people of all ages, who participate in multiple artistic activities.

For those who started this project, art is memory, identity and celebration. They are focused on bringing it to people through artistic productions that put social problems in the spotlight. Grupo de Teatro CatalinasSur offers theatre workshops for adults, puppet workshops, stage and props projects and costume design.

The building, a team creation, is a clear example of alternative culture: Decorated with murals and colours, the Galpón de Catalinas embodies the community theatre movement.

The hall capacity is for 211 people, and the chance of adding almost 80 more seats for 79 more people gives the stage double visuals. In addition, the room has double circulation on both the ground and first floors, and side walkways that allow access to the scene.