Behind the scenes, critical theatricalities: dialogues between pedagogies, visual culture and arts

Abstract

This article provides a detailed narration, inquiry, and analysis of an artistic-pedagogical mediation experience that facilitates exchanges between boys and girls from a public school in Montevideo, Uruguay, a cast of young people working in performing arts, and a theatrical piece designed to unfold during school recesses and in the theater. This initiative aims to foster open meanings and interpretations among the participants. The mediation approach encompasses several key components: a visit by the performing arts cast to the school to engage directly with the students, the viewing of the staged piece which emphasizes its behind-the-scenes elements, and is understood through: a) dialogues between the students and the cast following the performance, b) an exploration and understanding of the scenic-technical effects integral to the production, and c) a guided tour within the theater, granting access to the hidden spaces of a building recognized as a national historical heritage site. This analysis aims to contribute to the re-evaluation of the relationships that can be forged between educational and theatrical institutions, from a decolonial and post-humanist perspective.