La (im)posibilidad del diálogo escénico en Redoble fúnebre para lobos y corderos de Juan Radrigán

Abstract

A distinctive feature of Juan Radrigán’s theatrical production is his approach to the world of the marginalized and displaced sectors of Chilean society under the dictatorial regime (1973–1990) led by Augusto Pinochet. In this context, the absence of dialogue and understanding leads to social, political, economic, and human alienation. Such a process is evident in Redoble fúnebre para lobos y corderos (dos monólogos y un diálogo) (1981). This study aims to show how the motive of dialogue is sustained throughout the play by the crucial need of an actual interchange between the characters on stage and the audience whom they address. The references to a shared and immediate sociopolitical context, along with the dialogue that the characters try to initiate, compel the audience to assume the role of interlocutor. The elimination of the spatial and functional distinctions between characters and spectators leads to a democratizing experience that forces the audience to engage with the social reality of the marginalized and to come to terms with their own. I argue that Radrigán fosters a reconfiguration of the passive audience—both in the theatrical space and in society as a whole—through a mutual understanding between characters and spectators that aims to activate the audience of the wider socio-political spectacle of Chile under an authoritarian regime.