Dystopian Visions on Stage: Two Fresh Perspectives from Chilean Theater Explore Global Collapse at Mori Recoleta

Throughout April, Teatro Mori Recoleta will showcase «Nueva Zelanda,» by the company La Desideria—from April 9 to 19—and «Cadáveres,» by Implicancia Teatro—from April 23 to May 3. These productions by emerging companies delve into social crises, climate change, and the bleak uncertainty of envisioning a future through science fiction and dystopian imagery.

Performances will take place Thursday to Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 7:00 PM.

Both works were chosen through a call for proposals launched by the theater for this year, representing a generational and aesthetic intersection where science fiction serves as a critical tool.

The productions unfold in extreme yet familiar settings, where apocalyptic themes engage directly with present-day tensions.

Nueva Zelanda

The first to be staged is «Nueva Zelanda» (featured image), written and directed by Antenor Allendes, set in Santiago of 2032, a city grappling with massive unemployment, chronic diseases, and widespread uncertainty about the impending apocalypse.

Employing a fragmented storytelling structure and a tone that blends black comedy with existential crisis, the play follows a group of characters struggling to maintain connections and envision their futures in a context where hope seems to have vanished.

Having premiered in 2025 and part of the International Santiago Off Festival circuit in 2026, the work is structured as a mosaic of scenes—akin to a “disc” with various tracks—where absurdity, dark humor, and generational frustration coexist on the same level.

In this landscape, communication appears fractured, unfulfilled promises abound, and daily life takes on a precarious yet alarmingly familiar character.

Rather than imagining a future, «Nueva Zelanda» calls into question the very possibility of projecting one. The notion of a “promised land”—embedded in its title—becomes an ironic gesture: even the idealized places seem exhausted, raising a fundamental question that permeates the work: Are we capable of deciding our future, or are we doomed to survive by any means necessary?

Cadáveres

Beginning April 23, «Cadáveres,» written and directed by Eduardo Fuenzalida, shifts the dystopia towards a more openly apocalyptic narrative set in Santiago’s subway. In this story, a polar wave has ravaged the planet, leaving the capital as a frozen territory where bodies accumulate and the extinction of humanity seems imminent.

In this scenario, a traveler traverses various parallel realities in search of his mother, confronting multiple versions of himself in a multiverse that fractures the concepts of identity and time. This narrative device serves as a means to explore not only other possible dimensions but also the critical choices that shape who we are.

«The concept of multiverses becomes a narrative tool that allows us to fracture reality and rethink temporality, opening up the possibility of discussing other dimensions, other times, and most importantly, our future,» notes director Eduardo Fuenzalida.

The third installment of Implicancia Teatro’s trilogy on permanence, «Cadáveres» weaves together elements of science fiction with tragicomedy, placing central themes such as motherhood, identity, and climate crisis at its core. In this fusion, the work raises an uncomfortable question: what does it mean to bring life into a world on the brink of extinction?

«We offer a vision of an increasingly challenging future. We ask what it means to bring life into a completely finished world,» adds Fuenzalida, placing motherhood as a gesture that oscillates between resistance and vulnerability.

With a strong visual impact and an atmosphere marked by decay, the production pushes the boundaries of humanity in a context where survival is no longer guaranteed and the search for meaning becomes urgent yet uncertain.

Observing the Present

Despite their formal differences, both works share a common drive: to observe the present through their potential divergences. It is not about anticipating the future but about revealing the current fractures through narratives that exaggerate, displace, and strain reality.

For more information and ticket sales, visit teatromori.com, where discounts are available for members of Caja Los Andes, clients of Banco Itaú, Claro Club members, and LT Beneficios.

Coordinates

NUEVA ZELANDA
Date: April 9-19
Time: Thursday to Saturday, 8:00 PM | Sunday, 7:00 PM
Location: Mori Recoleta (Bellavista 77, Recoleta)
Duration: 100 minutes
Recommended age: +14 years

Artistic profile: Direction and playwriting: Antenor Allendes | Cast: Elías Painemal, Rebeca Henriquez, Nicolás Ruiz, Javiera Aceitón, José Sánchez, Paula Cruz, Alex Acevedo, María José Castillo, Álvaro Cisternas, and Clarita Giacaman | Sound: Vicente Con Rojas | Costume and lighting design: Tobías Díaz | Lighting operation: Matilde Jorquera | Production: Álvaro Cisternas.

CADÁVERES
Date: April 23 – May 3
Time: Thursday to Saturday, 8:00 PM | Sunday, 7:00 PM
Location: Mori Recoleta (Bellavista 77, Recoleta)
Duration: 90 minutes
Recommended age: +14 years

Artistic profile: Direction and playwriting: Eduardo Fuenzalida | Cast: Simón Leiva, José Agustín Espinoza, Javiera Alvear, Yashira Somoza, Malvo Sánchez, Maite Pino, and Jacob Reyes | Assistant director: Paula Reyes | Sound design: Benjamín Celedón | Sound operation: Sebastián Cárez-Lorca | Production: Francisca Torres | Overall design: Valentina Bruna and Moisés Briceño | Lighting operation: Mariana Segovia | Promotion: Eduardo Fuenzalida.