Losing the battle of the Ebr(i)o

“I, on a ghost street, in a desolate Western, / I turned my back on alcohol, / the most accurate shooter in the West.” These lines are part of Losing the battle of the ebr(i)o, a book by poet Thomas Harris who lends his verses to this homonymous theatrical performance.

The texts are the same as those written by Harris. The bodies that give them life, from a cast of five actors, headed by Freddy Araya, summoned by director Claudio Santana. His idea is that the stage action is an opportunity to see life from the glassy gaze of the drunk, to delve into the relationship of love and hate with the liquids that accompany parties and pain.

The audience surrounds the actors, who look at them and greet them. The space is empty and the resources are basic: body, rhythm, words, action, multicolored bulbs. “It is an intense performance about drunkenness, about that thirst that gets inside you and that at the same time delivers a special lucidity,” explains Santana.

The idea is that it is a shared experience, but the degree to which the public gets involved will depend on their willingness, from identification to just observing. “We want to make it clear that no spectator will be forced to participate if they do not wish to,” adds the director. 

Poems: Thomas Harris
Company: Performer Persona Project
Direction: Claudio Santana
Cast: Freddy Araya, Félix Venegas, Juan Pablo Vásquez, Sebastián Zeballos and Braulio Verdejo.
Space: Matías Ulibarry.