A group of people stand spaced out in a dark theater, facing a large curved screen showing abstract visuals. Red circles are marked on the floor, and ropes or cables hang from above.

Prep School: Teatro Línea de Sombra

“En un medio teatral como el mexicano, inmerso todavía en la hegemonía del naturalismo, las tentativas de renovación no suelen trascender la condición de fuegos fatuos. Por lo anterior, la trayectoria dilatada y sólida del proyecto de Teatro Línea de Sombra constituye una excepción notable y ejemplar. Su oferta artística, pedagógica y programática ha contribuido a subsanar huecos formativos y ha puesto a dialogar al teatro mexicano con el teatro de avanzada de otras latitudes. En la antesala de su etapa de madurez, no queda sino esperar los mejores frutos de una empresa que ha sabido renovarse en cada paso.”

– Noé Morales Muñoz / Dramaturgo y crítico

Founded in 1993, Teatro Línea de Sombra (TLS) is an internationally renowned collective of theatermakers, researchers, and actors, and one of Mexico’s leading theater companies. Learn more.

GET THEE TO THE LIBRARY

Recommended readings to get you in gear for the show.

  • Paola S. Hernández, Staging Lives in Latin American Theater: Bodies, Objects, Archives. Northwestern University Press, 2021. 
  • Stephanie Merrim, A Latin American Existentialist Ethos: Modern Mexican Literature and Philosophy. State University of New York Press, 2023. 
  • Rodrigo Parrini Roses, Teatro y Convulsíon: Teatro de los Desiertos y Etnografías Forenses. Ediciones DocumentA/Escénicas, 2021. 
  • Diana Taylor, Performance. Duke University Press, 2016.
  • Luis Valdez, Theatre of the Sphere: The Vibrant Being. Routledge, 2022.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Teatro Línea de Sombra Connects with Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest

Research and pedagogy are key to their process, which sometimes ends in a theatrical spectacle and sometimes not, depending on where their investigations lead.

Howlround | Aug 5, 2018(opens in a new tab)

Mexican avant-garde: Interviews with Jorge Vargas and Gabino Rodriguez

“We try to make a kind of theatre without any intermediaries between reality and the stage. The least possible. Because of course, there is always something.”

Critical Stages | Feb 28, 2019(opens in a new tab)

EXTRA CREDIT

This production is presented in partnership with NYU’s Hemispheric Institute, a rich and multifaceted resource for scholars, artists and audiences. Teatro Línea de Sombra’s co-artistic directors, Alicia Laguna and Jorge A. Vargas, are 2023 Mellon Fellows in Residence at Hemi.


Explore Hemi’s video archives, their history, and learn more about the people who make the work happen.

A collage of various theatrical performances, showcasing actors in costume, expressive poses, group scenes, dance, and dynamic stage moments from diverse productions.