Theater in Jalisco: between diversity and permanence

04 MIN 00 SEC

Rebeca Pérez Vega

Guadalajara, Mexico (September 10, 2025) - 5:00 a.m.

Creatives and officials who will participate in the 2025 State Theater Showcase. Photo: Maricarmen Galindo.

In Jalisco , the theater industry is experiencing a paradox: around 200 productions are produced each year, a figure that reflects the vitality of the local scene , but at the same time, these projects are facing a wall of short seasons and a shortage of public spaces.

That tension - between creative effervescence and the difficulty in sustaining it - runs through the voices of the participants in the 28th edition of the State Theatre Showcase ( MET ), which from September 19 to 27 will bring together a total of 16 productions in a dozen public venues and from the independent scene in Guadalajara and will have as central figures Olga Valencia and Javier Serrano , theatre artists with more than 40 years of experience on stage, founders of the independent theatre company and forum El Venero .

Mauricio Cedeño , director, actor and founder of the María Teresa Theater , with more than 20 years on stage, sums it up frankly: the problem is not producing, but remaining.

Mauricio Cedeño. Photo: Maricarmen Galindo.

"There are more and more groups, more new discourses, more independent spaces. That's very valuable, but institutional seasons don't last more than three or four performances, and so projects don't have time to mature or become known. Theater needs time in front of an audience to grow, and that opportunity remains scarce. Venues are overcrowded, and local companies are left out."

Mauricio Cedeño

Director, actor and founder of the María Teresa Theater

Alongside this criticism, young perspectives are emerging that celebrate diversity. Theater artist Mauricio Carvajal , who is participating in the festival for the first time, emphasizes that this edition opens up an unusual but very diverse range.

"There are very traditional works and, at the same time, proposals that emerge from creative laboratories. In addition, several productions touch on the theme of new masculinities. My play, 'Los Niños no Lloran,' took five years to materialize because many producers told us it wasn't interesting. Now being here means there's room for different projects."

Mauricio Carvajal

Theater artist

Claudia Anguiano , the curator, confirms this breadth. Of the 72 proposals received, 12 were selected that represent not only artistic quality but also thematic relevance.

MET producer Ana Jacobus sheds light on this perspective.

Ana Jacobus. Photo: Maricarmen Galindo.

"The latest formal registration showed more than 200 works produced annually in Jalisco. This shows the magnitude of the movement, but also the need to open more channels. Selecting only 12 of the 72 proposals that made it to the call makes us think about where the exhibition should go to be more inclusive. The challenge is to give space to all these voices and strengthen ties with independent venues, which are the true support of the community."

Ana Jacobs

MET Producer

Guillermo Covarrubias, Allen Gómez, Claudia Anguiano "Clos", Mauricio Cedeño and Ana Jacobus. Photo: Maricarmen Galindo.

The MET is not only a showcase for 12 projects selected through a call, it is also a celebration organized by the Secretariat of Culture of Jalisco , which in this edition includes workshops, parallel activities and the return, after six years of absence, of the Encuentro de Teatro del Interior that takes place from September 6 to 13, in which groups from municipalities such as Puerto Vallarta , Ciudad Guzmán , Etzatlán , Ameca , Zapotlanejo and Lagos de Moreno participate; the three finalists will also perform as part of the MET programming, in addition to adding to the billboard " Cantares " by Sayuri Navarro , a guest show from San Luis Potosí .

The head of the SCJ Theater , Guillermo Covarrubias , highlights the incorporation of independent spaces to the official programming, such as Santa Tere Teatro de Barrio , the OTeart Laboratorio Escénico CZ , the Teatro El Venero and Kokob Cultural Center .

Among these venues is the María Teresa Theater Forum , directed by Cedeño , who celebrates that after years of insistence, the work done since independence is finally being recognized.

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Theater in Jalisco: between diversity and permanence

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