The Moxie Theatre production (National New Play Network, Rolling World Premiere) of The Madres, written by Stephanie Alison Walker and co-directed by Maria Patrice Amon and Jennifer Eve Thorn, presents a “slice of life” of those affected by the Dirty War (1976-1983)—a seven-year campaign by the Argentine government which led to the kidnapping and murder of over 30,000 people under the direction of General Jorge Rafael Videla.
During the Dirty War demonstrations began on April 30, 1977 in Buenos Aires when fourteen mothers assembled in the Plaza de Mayo (a square built to celebrate the beginning of the Argentine republic on 25 May 1810) to petition for information on the fate of their “disappeared” children. These demonstrations—which some historians call political “performance”—grew during the Videla regime and drew international attention.
All of the demonstrators wore white shawls embroidered with the names of the disappeared. Their demonstration became more choreographed over time as the participants increased in number. Today the Mothers continue marching in the Plaza de Mayo every Thursday. [Read more…]