Coping Strategies for Argentine Theatre during the Crisis of 2001

Abstract

This article analyzes the conceptions of theatrical practices shared by 20 Argentine playwrights/ directors/ actors between 30 and 40 years of age who joined the theatrical field during the Argentine financial crisis of 2001. Among these conceptions we highlight collaborative writing and associated strategies of management and stage production, supported by shared beliefs and needs, which also delineate a novel authorial figure: the artist-manager. Following Lazarus and Folkman, we examine the hypothesis that certain shared features can be understood as "coping strategies" for confronting critical situations, both economic and artistic.