By Sarah Marsh
Carmen Aguirre's Blue Box
Based on her unbelievably true life story, writer and performer Carmen Aguirre weaves a remarkable tale of love, loss and revolution in her play Blue Box. It’s a story of terror, romance, fear and abandon that takes us from the dangerous mountain passes of Chile to the perilous roller coasters of Hollywood; from an ardent love affair with a TV star, to a passionate love for a revolutionary political movement that strove to free and change an entire nation. We recently caught up with Carmen to gain insight into Blue Box, and her personal experiences that have inspired the production.
Sarah Marsh: Both the play Blue Box and your book Something Fierce draw upon your own real life experiences. How are the two different?
Carmen Aguirre: There are many differences. First of all, prose and playwriting are completely different forms. The book is written in the past tense, is able to carry a lot of information, and the writing itself is more verbose. The play is written in the present tense, and the writing is sparse. The book covers a ten-year period in my life and is told (more or less) in chronological order. The play is an examination of different cores; two events that take place ten years apart from each other. The book is a coming of age story under the theme of commitment clashing with desire. It is also a political thriller that works with the theme of terror. The play is a lament that works with the theme of unconditional love, and the tension between revolutionary love and romantic love.
Images of Carmen Aguirre courtesy of Itai Erdal
SM: Something Fierce is the first account published about life in the Chilean resistance. Did you feel a responsibility to share your story, now that you no longer live under an oppressive dictatorship?
CA: I do not feel responsible to tell my story or anyone’s story, for that matter. That would be taking oneself way too seriously, and I don’t believe that that makes for good art. As a cultural worker, I do believe that it is my duty to put my skills at the service of the community, and I therefore am interested in telling stories that I believe are important, be it politically, socially, and/or historically. Something Fierce is an account of a universal experience, precisely because it is set within a political, social, and historical context.
SM: Do you see any parallels with the political movement you were involved in to any political movements happening in the world today? What advice would you give to people who cannot freely express themselves?
CA: Yes, I see lots of parallels between what my generation fought for all over the world, and what the current generation is fighting for today. It’s the same cause, really. The movements I see around the world today are fighting neoliberalism, which is exactly what we were fighting in the 80s. I cannot give any advice to anyone, as that would be pompous, arrogant, and condescending. I will however say that the Chilean resistance was not fighting for freedom of expression, as your question insinuates. We were fighting for justice and equality. We were fighting for the basic human rights of food, water, shelter, and healthcare for all. Freedom of expression is not my bottom line. Justice and equality are.
SM: Have you ever considered touring the show through Latin America? What do you think the response would be like?
CA: I have considered touring the show through Latin America. I have no idea what the response would be. Positive, I hope.
SM You said once in another interview that “non-violent resistance is a performance that requires an audience.” Can you connect this idea to expressing ideas through the performing arts?:
CA: The performing arts (or all art, for that matter) requires an audience. Otherwise it’s not art.
SM: Can you describe your decision to stage Blue Box very minimally?
CA: I was interested in writing a piece in which the content was far more important than the form. This was in response to seeing a lot of theatre where the form was astoundingly wonderful but the content never met the form. Sometimes I see theatre where it seems that the content was a mere afterthought. So I set out to write a piece where there would be virtually no design per se, and where the entirety of the theatricality would lie in the text. Not even in the performance. Just the text.
SM: Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
CA: I am desperately trying to crack open the first draft of a play I’m writing entitled The Tina Modotti Project. I am not having much success at the moment.
Blue Box is playing at The Cultch until May 12. Tickets start at $28 and can be purchased by visiting http://tickets.thecultch.com/show.asp, calling the Box Office at 604.251.1363 or by visiting us in person at 1895 Venables St, Vancouver.
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