Teatro La Máscara is the oldest - and one of the only - feminist, all-women's theaters in Colombia. Founded in 1972 in Cali, La Máscara was a political theater initially comprised of male as well as female actors, that worked very closely with playwright/director Enrique Buenaventura and the Teatro Experimental de Cali (TEC). By the early 1980s, however, the ensemble had undergone a radical transformation: all the men had left the group. Seeing that it was the women who stayed and wanted to continue their theatrical trajectory, Lucy Bolaños seized the opportunity and decided to make La Máscara a women's ensemble fully dedicated to gender issues. They have stayed true to this mission, despite the many social, administrative, and financial pressures they've had to endure in an environment plagued by violence and machismo, which constantly seeks to "invisibilize" their work. Because of their fruitful stubbornness, La Máscara is still alive and kicking, not only creating and staging plays, but also working with marginalized communities, actively participating in political protests and demonstrations, and being involved in the organization of theater festivals. In September 2002, celebrating their 30th anniversary, they organized and hosted the Magdalena Pacífica International Women's Theater Festival, a city-wide 10-day event whose main theme was re-thinking women's role in construction of a peaceful Colombia. La Máscara's undying commitment to feminism and social change is absolute. As Lucy Bolaños herself says, "This is the challenge of life."

Begin this path: Teatro La Máscara (Colombia)

1. Teatro la máscara: Twenty-Eight Years of Invisibilized Theater
2. Videos (Plays and Performances)
3. Other Resources
4. Bibliography

Comment on this page