The best of off-theatre in Buenos Aires

When an independent play runs for 10 seasons, it’s undoubtedly a classic. Set in a hotel in a small town in Argentina’s littoral region, it believes in miracles; its protagonists are people who wait. They wait for everything: a change of life, a love relationship, a better future. And all believe in the miracles of “La Pilarcita,” a popular saint to whom one must offer a small specially made doll for the miracle to come true.

It is one of those delightful plays, with a profound and empathetic text, in which the audience is taken by hand through various emotions: from laughter to nostalgia, from nostalgia to sadness… and back to joy. María Marull’s writing and direction immerse you for a little over an hour in the rhythm and pulse of a hot town afternoon, with its melodies, characters, and beliefs.

Where: El Camarín de las Musas. Tickets, here.

With Leonor Manso, Eugenia Guerty, and Carolina Tejeda. Directed by Santiago Loza and Pablo Messiez.

A touching and heartfelt play by Manuel Puig that addresses fundamental themes such as love and the passage of time. Two sisters, Nidia and Luci, pass their hours through gossip about their neighbor Silvia’s loves as if they were stories that enrich life. To laugh, dream, and understand that it’s never too late to chase your own desires.

Where: Hasta Trilce. Tickets, here.

With Patricio Aramburu, Diego Velazquez. Directed by Mariano Pensotti.

The story intertwines two lives: Julián Vidal, a mountaineer determined to complete the climb that killed his father in 1989, and Manuel Rojas, an actor called years later to portray him in a film. On stage, they coexist as mirror and reflection, reality and fiction, father and son, memory and myth. An intense play that explores inheritance, absence, and the way time melts both glaciers and family illusions.

Where: Dumont 4040. Tickets, here.

A "dream team" of theatre in a play written by Santiago Loza, starring Mariano Saborido and directed by Juanse Rauch and Valeria Lois. Mario runs a hostel with his mother in a remote southern village. Beyond lies a port that ceased functioning with travelers, sailors, and passersby. There is a return, a farewell, and Mario’s desire to flee forever among the icy sea, burning sensations, chants, and lots of wind.

Where: Dumont4040. Tickets, here.

Directed by Carlos Belloso. Cast: Carlos Belloso, Alejandra Oteiza, Beto Bernuez, Pepe Arias, and Eduardo Marcos.

With Carlos Belloso leading the cast, this comedy follows the story of Pedro, a baker and union leader who, during the Peronist government, is chosen to represent the working class at the Argentine Embassy in the Soviet Union, where he discovers the contradictions and entanglements of the Stalinist regime.

Where: Fridays at Palacio El Victorial, Saturdays at Teatro El Vitral. Tickets here.

With: Natalia Pascale, Fito Perez, Darío Serantes. Directed by: Malena Miramontes Boim.

La Maddonita returned to the stage after 3 years of uninterrupted performances with over 100 shows. Written by Mauricio Kartun, the play takes place in the early 20th century in a hot attic in Parque Lezama where a man takes photos of his wife and then sells them among the immigrant working class, highlighting the friction between desire, sex, and poetry.

Where: Itaca Complejo Teatral, Humahuaca 4027. Tickets, here.

With Juan Luppi and Maxi Zago. Directed by Juan Luppi.

The story of Juan and Maxi, two street comedians hired to host the comeback of two comedy legends after 40 years away. In a neighborhood theater, amid rumors of a talent scout’s presence, the show turns into a chaotic night of sabotage, false identities, and a fierce fight to shine.

Where: Teatro El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

With Roxana Randón, Adabel Guerrero, Manuel Novoa, and Gonzalo Villanueva. Directed by Alejandro Magnone.

A powerful and emotional drama that deeply questions the most sacred bonds: family. Through a seemingly simple situation—a family visit—a web of secrets, mandates, silences, and fractures unfolds, bursting what’s left unspoken. What happens when what comes from outside not only unsettles but transforms forever?

Where: Teatro El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

By the company Toia&Callaci of Agustina Toia and Severio Calacci.

Third season in Buenos Aires for this play that was acclaimed at international festivals. A journey through women who fought for their ideals and marked the course of history with a common denominator: their name. Juana Manso, Juana the Mad, Joan of Arc, Pope Joan Giovanna Marturano, Juana de Ibarbouru, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz inspire us with their struggle and passion.

Where: Jean Jaures 858, La Carpinteria. Tickets, here.

With Tony Lestingi, Pablo Mariuzzi, Natacha Delgado. Directed by Andrés Bazzalo.

A dramedy that tells the story of a family reunion forced by circumstances when Pablo returns to Buenos Aires after many years. With humor, tenderness, and a good dose of conflict, the play offers a compassionate look at family bonds and the legacies that live within us—both those that hurt and those that enlighten.

Where: Hasta Trilce. Tickets, here.

With Ana Rodriguez Arana and Sylvia Tavcar. Directed by Andrea Giglio.

A theatrical piece exploring different approaches and experiences of love when a theater director tries to persuade a poet to grant the rights to a play about a romantic story. After a first meeting, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, and the play’s plot unfolds simultaneously with its writing and performance.

Where: Ítaca Complejo Teatral. Tickets, here.

With Flor Bobadilla Oliva, La Ferni. Directed by Hernán Márquez.

The stage adaptation of Gabriela Cabezón Cámara’s acclaimed novel takes us back to the early days of Argentina’s nation-building to tell the story of a woman’s transformative journey in search of a possible paradise. China Iron hops aboard the wagon of an Englishwoman heading to the frontier in search of her husband. China, however, only wants to escape —to leave behind the memory of Martín Fierro and her life as a “china.” Soon, the journey becomes a path of discovery, freedom, and love, all under the watchful eye of a shotgun.

Where: Dumont4040. Tickets, here.

With Dennis Smith. Directed by Dennis Smith.

A man, alone on stage, becomes both son and witness as he listens for the first time to the story his mother kept secret for decades. The year is 1975: at just 24 years old, a militant in the Montoneros movement, she goes underground with a baby in her arms after her partner’s death. Hunted and captured, she survives because a soldier chooses her as his mistress. To some, she was a traitor; to her son, she’s always been a mystery. Now, half a century later and thousands of miles away, those long-silenced words open a wound, a mystery —and the possibility of a shared truth.

Where: Dumont4040. Tickets, here.

With Mercedes Moltedo. Directed by Mercedes Moltedo.

A solo performance that dives into the hallways of a high school to portray the rush of first love, unconditional friendship, and the contradictions of adolescence. Sandra, a third-year student, feels her life is utterly dull until Alejo Luciani —a newly arrived student repeating the year— turns everything upside down.

Together with Rocío, her inseparable best friend, she embarks on an adventure of impossible crushes, school humiliations, and spring dances. With humor, tenderness, and a critical eye, the play revisits the discoveries of adolescence through the voice of a young woman trying to balance grades, passions, and dreams in a world that seems to be constantly shifting.

Where: Nun Teatro Bar. Tickets, here.

With Mosquito Sancineto and Eduardo Calvo. Directed by Pablo Calvo.

On an island in the Río de la Plata transformed into a fake North American paradise, a jurist and a self-proclaimed Roman emperor endure a forced exile while debating power, religion, morality, and the fate of a continent that once bent to their whims. Blending absurdity, humor, and dystopian local color, the play fuses Albert Camus’ existentialism with popular Argentine culture to deliver a biting satire on politics, memory, and the fragility of privilege.

Where: Centro Cultural de la Cooperación. Tickets, here.

With Graciela Stefani, Miriam Odorico, and Dalma Maradona. Directed by Julieta Cayetina.

Berta and Luisa are two widows who, between gossip, funerals, and endless card games, navigate grief while inheriting a rundown roadside motel. The arrival of Cecilia —a young pregnant woman determined to do whatever it takes to give birth— shakes up their routine and forces them to face their own prejudices. Through unexpected decisions, humor, and tenderness, this encounter becomes the spark that drives them to rediscover desire, sexuality, and above all, the urge to live life to the fullest.

Where: Timbre 4. Tickets, here.

From Catalan playwright Víctor Borràs Gasch comes a play that, with sharp humor, digs into the cracks of friendship and the secrets time fails to bury. Three friends who haven’t seen each other in over twenty years reunite during a torrential night in their hometown. Facundo calls Pablo and Javi together for a reason he won’t reveal —only insisting it’s important. Outside, the rain falls with unusual force; inside, the reunion threatens to unearth a dark secret they believed buried forever.

Where: Moscú Teatro. Tickets, here.