El Ciudadano
Original article: Memorias teatrales del “Cuervo” Castro, director y fundador de Teatro Aleph, se reencuentran con el público chileno
Theatrical Memories of Óscar Cuervo Castro, Teatro Aleph Founder, Reconnect with Chilean Audience
Despite being spring, the rain set the stage for a meaningful encounter with history. On Saturday, December 5th, over 100 attendees gathered at the Melinka-Puchuncaví memorial site to witness «Cuervo,» a theatrical and audiovisual adaptation of the unpublished autobiography titled Teatrografía by actor, playwright, director, and founder of Teatro Aleph, Óscar Cuervo Castro.
Starring and narrated by three of his children, «Cuervo» revisits this text written by Óscar during his exile in France, recalling the repression endured by him and his family, as well as the role of scenic creation in coping with confinement. It also explores its impact on both prisoners and oppressors, especially at the site where the performance took place, where he was once held.
«Since we were born, we grew up on the stages of Teatro Aleph in Ivry (Paris), raised by our father’s stories about Chile. However, the time leading up to his exile in France has always held some mystery, particularly the two years he spent in concentration camps. He spoke of it, but often through a fantastical lens to protect us,» share his sons, Cosme and Óscar, who bring their father’s book to life in this film-narrated performance.
Regarding the performances at sites like Melinka Puchuncaví, the Parque Cultural de Valparaíso – Ex Prison, and Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi, the Castro brothers express that part of their hopes for this project was for the tour to be symbolic, much like the play itself: «We wished to perform in the very places, the former concentration camps and torture centers, that have now transformed into sites of memory.»
As producer Corentin Rostollan recounts, the production came together in a surprisingly short time: «I saw it on the night of its premiere in Paris, in June of this year, and immediately understood how crucial it was for them to return to the scene of the events. They didn’t want to wait; they wanted to perform it in the very land where everything had occurred, where they had filmed, and most importantly — perform for those who were part of that history,» said Rostollan.
Self-Managed Creation
The creators of «Cuervo» explain that the production has been self-managed. After filming in Chile—which included other prisoners and documenting the locations where Óscar was detained—they crafted the performance in their workspace, described as a poetic bunker resembling an underground parking lot. «For a month, we immersed ourselves there, without seeing daylight, weaving the threads of this story, breathing life, colors, and essence into it,» they elaborate.
«It was a passionate project carried out between two brothers in search of their roots, accompanied by Jeanne Frenkel, the illustrator and set designer for this narrative. We prefer to reflect on an approach that is both organic and technological: mixing documentary sequences projected from a smartphone’s LED screen, cut-out paper, gelatin… The performance reflects the works our father staged in the camps: made with almost nothing, but filled with creativity and poetry,» add Cosme and Óscar Castro.
This journey and reconnection with the past is also represented through music. Composer Lou Rotzinger explains, «We needed music that evoked travel (…) I aimed to create a more personal and intimate version of this music, leaning towards airy sounds; there had to be space for imagination and for storytelling.»
In discussing the illustration work, Jeanne Frenkel emphasizes that the creation process was «guided by the idea of allowing ample space for imagination. To achieve that, it was necessary to construct very refined and simple images, so as not to confine or diminish the strength of the words. I opted for an almost ‘naïve’ aesthetic, like a story for children; the words of a father directed at his children. The silhouettes of important characters are inspired by photographs of the protagonists, redrawn and stylized.»
With these tools and the conviction of the importance of this contribution to national memory, the producer notes, «Since the tour began, venues have been filled, and the audience response has been impressive. People from all walks of life, of all ages—always very moved by the performance—attend.»
Thus, this theatrical tour was able to bring the work to three regions (Valparaíso, Maule, and Metropolitan Santiago) in just 15 days, gathering over a thousand spectators to date.
Upcoming Performances
“Cuervo” is set to return with performances in January 2026, starting on Saturday, January 3, at Teatro Biobío in Concepción. More information about this performance, scheduled for 7:30 PM with free tickets, is available here.
Following that, the tour will conclude in Santiago, specifically at Casa Teatro Aleph, located in La Cisterna, on January 5, 2026, alongside an exceptional concert by the acclaimed Chilean musical duo Dúo Pajarito, featuring artists Amaia José and Fiona Murillo.
The play will be presented in the Sala Julieta of Aleph Chile, a theater named after Óscar Castro’s mother, who was a detained disappeared person. More information is available on the Teatro Aleph website.
“We hope many people can see it, as it speaks of hope, struggle, and resistance—but with hope and strength; when in this country it seems that fear, the obsession with an enemy, and the call to kill, deport, and cage them always prevails,” concluded producer Corentin Rostollan.
El Ciudadano
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