ESCENA – Espacios Escénicos Autónomos
Organization Member · Festival Designer · Institutional Relations
2015–2021
Overview
ESCENA (Espacios Escénicos Autónomos) is a network of independent performing arts venues in Buenos Aires committed to artistic experimentation, cultural rights and collective organization. Bringing together theatres, artists and cultural workers, the network advocates for autonomous cultural production while developing festivals, public programs and research initiatives.
As a member of the organization between 2015 and 2022, I contributed to the conception, design and production of festivals, institutional relationships and collaborative projects across the network. My participation grew out of my work at Machado Teatro, while expanding my practice into collective cultural policy and inter-organizational collaboration.
Artistic Vision & Cultural Vision
ESCENA defended independent theatres not simply as venues, but as spaces for artistic research, experimentation and community life.
The organization promoted a model of cultural production based on autonomy, solidarity and horizontal collaboration, where each venue maintained its own identity while contributing to a larger collective ecosystem.
The member spaces operated as an interconnected network that shared audiences, knowledge, artistic practices and resources. This collaborative approach sought to strengthen independent performing arts while advocating for cultural policies that recognized artists and cultural workers as essential contributors to public life
My Contribution
Within ESCENA I participated in projects that connected artistic programming with organizational development, including:
- Festival conception, planning and production
- Strategic planning for collective initiatives
- Institutional partnerships and public-sector relations
- Development of collaborative initiatives between independent theatres
- Funding applications and project development
Working within ESCENA expanded my understanding of cultural organizations as ecosystems built through cooperation.
Documentation
Selected Initiatives
ESCENA Festival
An annual city-wide festival bringing together independent theatres through shared programming, artistic exchanges and collective interventions in public space.
Over successive editions, the festival evolved into one of the network’s principal platforms for showcasing independent creation while strengthening collaboration between venues.
La Danza en ESCENA
A city-wide dance festival involving 19 independent theatres, created to increase the presence of dance within the independent circuit through co-programming, audience circulation and partnerships with public institutions.
Panorama ESCENA
A research publication examining programming models, production conditions and organizational practices across Buenos Aires’ independent theatre network, contributing knowledge about the city’s cultural ecosystem.