Actors and Puppeteers who Leave Footprints in the Mind of their Audience

Marisa and Luis

Eleven years ago, while Luis was teaching a seminar, he met Marisa who approached him with the desire to resume her theatrical activity since for some time before she had focused on other more creative artistic connotations. Shortly afterwards they fell in love and decided to unite their talents in order to give their public a complete show, which not only captivated the audience with quality and literary eloquence, but also with a message conveyed in order to leave them messages on their lives and to help them to find their purpose in life.

Luis Pecha and Marisa Macagno are two Argentines that for more than 30 years have been dedicating their lives to independent theater. Without being related to any membership nor to social work for social organizations or political entities, Marisa and Luis believe that they, like all artists, have an obligation with society which is being developed through their work, community service groups, bands, festivals, and workshops.

Their new play called “Tangos and beyond”, is based on a staging which involves drama, puppets, and praise music.  The scenario shows “Carlos “, the protagonist, who is heart broken and that triggers a number of situations  with lots of feelings, unreasonable moments, love, dreams, disappointment and resignation.

Marisa Macagno

This drama gives us a message: not to let things just happen as nothing in our everyday life, where “we forget about little things and our values.” On the other hand there are 2 types of people, sensitive ones and the friends we forget, those who prefer to forget things and always look beyond to get to boast of what they do have not yet. Both the dialogue and the drama of this book authored by Marisa and Luis, based on texts by Raul González Tuñón and Alejandro Dolina, with interpretations of tangos from Carlos Gardel, Piazzola and Eladia Blázquez, all sung by Luis.

Their works are generally prepared with the same subject. They take a text or story, and that the principal weapon developed drama based on a specific idea. That is why they do not follow a same lime where the characters are: “the good one, the bad one and, the one who helps the good one,” nor the pigeonhole to be for adults or children. They categorized as all age groups, however, it always depends on the substance of the work. “Tangos and beyond”, its content is directed to adults and teenagers because based on this work, people lived longer, you can see your past from a different perspective.

But as Luis “theater is theater, “adding that the Magic made ​​a spectacle presented to viewers.” While Marisa added saying “We as players work and develop a story from knowing what we want to convey. Luis and Marisa, as mentioned above, are artists with social commitment. 5 years ago, Marisa wrote a play along with Luis called “Liberato and the Sparrow” in which environmental issues reflect the world they live. Focused on the exploitation of river basins in Argentina, and how the environment affects man’s productive activities such as mining, ranching, agriculture and tourism. This drama’s worked with the NGO and the Catholic University of Argentina, then take it to schools and rural communities in several cities.

Luis Pecha

For this work, both Marisa and Luis made ​​a painstaking research for which they consulted with geologists and experts in these areas and then perform it. Both this work as most of them have a social message with a sense of solidarity directed to the public. “Liberato and the Sparrow is a work that kids and adults like making a reflection impacts on them, ” says Marisa. “Beyond the fun, is a strong reflection” says Luis.

Both argue that this type of work is not answer, but free to express them. They are not looking for controversy or confrontation; they seek to raise awareness in viewers.

Behind their work, there is not only talent and passion, but also research, analysis and reflection. For them, creating a situation and put it on stage with an underlying message, Luis and Marisa studying human behavior, as individuals alone and in community. And although they have studied, we can say that it is practically self-taught so that they have succeeded with the help of the years and experience.

Luis and Marisa are the founders and members of the troupe only Narrenorden, which means “Community of Sillies.” It organized his plays so many workshops, community service and Murgas. The latter is an artistic expression from Spain where it joins the dance, costumes, theater, music and folklore. Unlike the works that usually presents Narrenorden group, the street musicians are artistic rebels who respond to an injustice. As a social protest with always a message to give.

In short, these two artists could also be termed as the globetrotter, decided to give their lives to art, freedom of expression, love, man’s sensitivity, but never forgetting his role in this world, delivering its public awareness message of solidarity in every way.