Teatro Milán / Foro Lucerna

During the nearly 30 years in which the interior of the Teatro Milán remained in ruins, its marquee remained intact. On the morning of September 19, 1985, this important venue was the victim of the earthquake that shook the city.

The space that allowed the capital’s public to learn about the theatrical proposals created at the Universidad Veracruzana had to close. What seemed improbable in 2014 has happened: the Teatro Milán has raised its curtain again. Now under the reins of actors and entrepreneurs Mariana Garza and Pablo Perroni, who were in charge of planning the remodeling of the site that houses three spaces dedicated to the performing arts.

“We love theatre. Since we were very young, we both developed an interest in creating a space. We met in 2003 at the musical Regina , and since then we have discovered that we have the same philosophy, a love, a passion and the same work ethic,” says Mariana. That has allowed them, 10 years later, to start what they consider their life project. The building has a capacity for 260 spectators who will see medium-sized plays.

It will also host the Lucerne Forum, a black box whose dimensions allow it to be adapted to the needs and proposals of the companies that participate there, with small-format projects that can be seen by up to 140 spectators.

“The project arose from the need to have a space that was functional, practical, beautiful and friendly to all those involved: actors, directors, technicians and the public. Every square metre is designed to fulfil that activity. After having very difficult experiences in several theatres due to not even being able to put on a performance due to the poor conditions, we thought it was time to do it,” says Perroni.

To achieve this, they partnered with the company Teletec, owned by David Alexander-Katz and Enrique Lask, which contributed with all the technology that the building boasts in terms of audio, lighting and theatrical machinery.

“We want the experience of coming to the theatre to start when you leave your car in the valet parking lot and go to the box office to buy your ticket and are greeted in the lobby. For us, it is important that people, in addition to coming to see great productions, feel comfortable inside the building, so that they come back,” adds Mariana.

Its new architecture, designed by set designer Sergio Villegas, has four floors. On the second floor is what they call the Milan Lucerna Lyceum, which, in addition to serving as a rehearsal room, will offer acting and singing workshops led by Karina Gidi, Alejandro Calva and Carmen Ramos; as well as production, audio and lighting workshops, with professionals such as Sebastián Sánchez Amunátegui. Every day of the week there will be academic, stage and musical activities. But the main attraction is the theater.

To cut the ribbon, Garza and Perroni invited Juan Torres and Guillermo Wiechers, whom they sponsored in their debut as theater producers a decade ago. The play chosen to open with great fanfare was the Mexican version of the musical Godspell , which they presented on Broadway in 2011. Here it is directed by Lorena Maza and stars José Ron, Alex Sirvent and Ana Victoria.

To kick off the Foro Lucerna programme, the owners of the venue themselves will be starring in the production Aquí y ahora (Here and Now) , by Canadian playwright Catherine Anne Toupin, directed by Hugo Arrevillaga ( Incendios ( Fires), Sedientos (Thirsty) , Estrellas ( Stars ), Antes te gusta la lluvia (You Used to Like the Rain )). They are accompanied by Concepción Márquez and Antón Araiza, favourite actors of the prestigious director.

The news of the reopening of this theatre space, corrected and enlarged, was of great interest to the theatre community. The programming of both spaces is complete for the whole of 2014. The programme of activities highlights the presence of directors Diego del Río with El principio de Arquímedes , by Josep María Miró; Alberto Lómnitz with Civilización ; Boris Schoemann with Tom en la granja , by Michael Marc Bouchard; and Sebastián Sánchez with El loco y la camisa , by Nelson Valente.

Completing the marquee will be El reencuentro , a work written, directed and starring Pablo Valentín, as well as Teoría y practica de la mecánico del sexo , starring Marina de Tavira and Sergio Bonilla.

Between the commercial and the alternative

Regarding the investment required for this to happen, Perroni comments: “We have a lifetime to pay for it. There is a lot owed, but that is what the space is programmed for every day: to be able to fulfill that commitment. In addition to providing the best facilities and guarantees so that it is attractive to the community.”

Although most people know Mariana Garza and Pablo Perroni for their work in television, both feel welcome in the theatre world. “We have never been part of the subsidised circuit, but we know these work teams, their directors and actors well. We are in the middle, because we do not consider ourselves commercial or subsidised. Our interest is to make commercial works, because you pay to see them and theatre has to be a business, but we look for quality works,” says Perroni.

Their priority is to recapture the character that this theatre had when director Manuel Montoro and set designer Guillermo Barclay, who were in charge of it in the seventies and eighties, presented plays such as Emigrants , The Creditors , It Was a Love Story , Sacco and Vanzetti , Medea , The Last Ones and Creon’s Law . Actors such as Ana Ofelia Murguía, Claudio Obregón, Salvador Sánchez, Martha Aura and María Rojo gave life to the marquee of this theatre.

Three years after the reconstruction project began, the Milan reopened its doors to begin building a solid proposal for private and independent theatre that will give back to the DF theatre scene a space that is necessary for now and, perhaps in time, essential.