Laura Azcurra: “The city of Buenos Aires is an endless source of inspiration”

Actress, host, entrepreneur, and a self-declared lover of Buenos Aires, Laura Azcurra joins Qué pasa, the streaming show from Glup! by Time Out (every Tuesday at 6 pm), which explores the very best of the city. In this conversation, she shares what excited her about the project, why the Buenos Aires vibe resonates with her as an artist, and what it means to be part of an experience that celebrates the city’s cultural identity. We also talked about her many theater projects, her venture creating an Ayurvedic yerba mate brand, her relationship with movement, and her dream of reforesting the city.

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You’re joining “Glup! by Time Out,” specifically the show Qué pasa, which focuses on things to do in Buenos Aires. What excited you about this project, and what do you feel you can bring to it?

I got excited about the communication and promotion of everything Buenos Aires has to offer. For me, it’s a source of pride to be an artist and to have been born and raised in such an incredible and wonderful city. Buenos Aires has an enormous variety of cultural and culinary offerings, along with unique corners worth sharing. In every episode, we’ll explore all of that together—from its historic side to the most modern and cutting-edge aspects that place Buenos Aires on par with any city in the world.

"For me, it’s a source of pride to have been born and raised in such an incredible and wonderful city"

You define yourself as a “porteña actress,” and in your WhatsApp profile photo you’re posing next to the Obelisco. What is it about Buenos Aires that leaves such a mark on you as an artist?

Buenos Aires is an endless source of inspiration. With all the different ethnic groups that have shaped its identity over the years, a “wonder cocktail” was created. Buenos Aires has this Latin vibe and European imprint, and at the same time, a strong connection to our land and to our pacha. But it also has a fresh vision of the modern, cosmopolitan world. This unique mix coexisting in one city is spectacular—it truly makes it absolutely singular. And I’m a fan. I can’t be objective. Not just because I was born here, but because after traveling a lot around the world, I can honestly say that Buenos Aires is exquisite.

"After traveling a lot around the world, I can honestly say that Buenos Aires is exquisite"

Besides your acting career, you launched Ayurmate, your Ayurvedic yerba mate venture. How did the idea come about, and what do you want to share through this project?

It came from the need to keep drinking mate but with less caffeine. While yerba mate has many benefits, it can also overstimulate. Through Ayurveda, I learned that other herbs could be blended in, and after five years of experimenting, Ayurmate was born: a blend with more herbs than yerba, including marcela, chamomile, lemon verbena, coriander, fennel, and organic yerba from El Soberbio, Misiones. We started in March 2020 with my business partner, right in the middle of the pandemic, with no experience in consumer products but with lots of drive. Today, the project is growing—we host tastings and share it proudly.

You’re in a very active moment in theater, with plays such as Tita y Rhodesia, the one-woman show about Frida Kahlo, and Salir del ruedo. What do these projects have in common, and what do they leave you with as an artist?

I feel very fortunate with my current theater projects. And in the past five or six years, as a communicator, performer, and storyteller, I made a commitment to ensure that everything I present (especially in theater, which is always a live event) has meaning. That’s what my three current projects have in common: there’s always something to say, something to share.

For example, Frida is such a powerful, imposing figure—a Latin American woman who left a huge mark as an artist, a thinker, and a human being. Playing her on stage is both an honor and a huge responsibility. I’m also very interested in showing aspects of her life that aren’t so well-known—more intimate sides of her personality that don’t always make it into biographies or the “official” versions. It moves and inspires me to bring that to the stage, and I celebrate that her message remains so relevant.

Then there’s Salir del ruedo, a project that’s very dear to me. We created it with Mariana Astutti almost ten years ago—we wrote it together and took it to many independent theaters in Buenos Aires, across Argentina, and even in Uruguay. It grew out of my more than 25 years of research into flamenco, and I felt that all of that experience, all that work, all that world needed to be shared on stage. Salir del ruedo is not just a play—it’s dance, music, poetry, a dialogue between Spain and Argentina, between cultures and identities.

And finally, Tita y Rhodesia. This project is completely different, but just as powerful. I do it with Valeria Stilman, under the technique of improvisation, but with a theatrical and musical framework supporting us. The characters of Tita and Rhodesia are written, with a history and internal logic, but within the show there are four improvisation moments where the audience becomes our author. They give us titles, situations, characters… and we create scenes from them. It’s hilarious and very participatory.

You also host Rodando Ando, about urban cycling. What role does movement play in your life today?

Rodando Ando, which I created with Dani Campomenosi, grew out of our friendship and our habit of biking through the city. With bike lanes and the post-pandemic lifestyle, cycling became safer and more common. For me, movement is essential: I exercise three or four times a week, I dance, run, train, and use my bike. It’s key to release energy, think more clearly, and keep the body available for creating. The body is the actor’s instrument: it has to be healthy, strong, and present.

You’re an actress, host, entrepreneur, dancer… Do you still have any unfulfilled dreams or projects? Something you’d like to explore?

Many! I dream of doing old-school radio, directing theater, writing more, and having the time to do it. I’m also very interested in “green” things: gardening, urban farming, reforestation. From balconies to train tracks, I want to recover green spaces for the city and its neighbors. That’s one of my biggest challenges, and I know we’ll achieve beautiful things.

Buenos Aires Quickfire

A place in Buenos Aires that always inspires you: Anywhere with blooming trees—it could be Figueroa Alcorta Avenue with the bright violet jacarandas and its wide-open space. That’s an avenue I really love.

Something you always carry in your bag: My ginger and honey candies.

Bus, bike, or walking? I’m more bike, walking, and subway.

A ritual before going on stage: Stretching, vocal warm-ups, and asking for the help of my ancestors who accompany the entire performance.

A typical Buenos Aires flavor: Although I no longer eat meat, a bondiola (pork shoulder) sandwich from a street stand by the Costanera, looking out at the Río de la Plata.

A song that connects you to the city: Tango connects me to Buenos Aires, to Montevideo, to the Río de la Plata very strongly. But right now, the song “Buenos Aires” by Nathy Peluso really connects me—or for something more romantic and melancholic, “Nieblas del Riachuelo.”