Lab Reseach Theatre Company Presents
Alfonsina
Directed By Pedro Ilgenfritz
4-6 March, 8.00pm
Gryphon Theatre, 22 Ghuznee St
Door Sales $14
Alfonsina is the underdog, a heroine clown who simply cannot avoid trouble!
Alfonsina is a comic depiction of the adventures and misfortunes of a young Argentinean cleaner facing the social, economic and
cultural challenges of migrating to Auckland in search of a new life.
Escaping the harsh suburbs of Buenos Aires (Argentina) straight to downtown Auckland, Alfonsina manages to find a job
cleaning offices. She quickly meets another cleaner, her neighbour Hera. Hera introduces Alfonsina to Tracy, a former
cleaner who is now the boss of the cleaning company she works for and who is torn between her point of view as an
employer and her compassionate support of her employees.
BACKGROUND
LAB: Research Theatre Company is a permanent acting laboratory engaged in the research of actors’ training and the creation of theatre shows. Alfonsina is the first performance outcome of our research.
We are influenced by the works of the theatre masters Stanislavski, Meyerhold, Copeau, Brecht, Grotowski, Mnouchkine and
others who managed to develop their work and theories because they had a permanent group of actors that worked together
uninterrupted for a long period. They were engaged in rigorous theatre research intended to break through new areas of
theatre practice, challenging paradigms and investigate the essence of drama; they worked continuously on rediscovering
the basic laws that govern life on stage and became famous not only because of the quality and originality of their
productions, but also because of their contribution to the systematic approach of theatre making.
Likewise, our ambition is to become a reference point in this approach to theatre - a company that produces quality
drama and a centre of theatre investigation. Both areas are developed simultaneously by continuity of research, creating
shows, exchanging experiences with other theatre companies, directors and scholars through festivals, conferences.
COMMUNITY DISCUSSION - THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE
The dialogue between both communities (New Zealand and South American) in the field of arts is growing substantially in
the last years.
This project will explore the connections between both cultures and discuss the impact of immigration by South Americans
to New Zealand, and facilitate exchange between both cultures in terms of arts and academic practice. Alfonsina started a dialogue with the audience by discussing the question of social, economic and cultural dislocation using the
story of an Argentinean immigrant to New Zealand as a focal point.
The sense of cultural dislocation is an experience that affects a large part of the population in this country with
South Americans being one of the newest ethnic groups that compose the fabric of the New Zealand immigrant population.
ENDS