"Sex, I lived your experience" was the successful work that was carried out in the Gorriti Art Center until the quarantine arrived. It was a mix of sex, musical, and nightly cabaret. This same work was readapt to new contexts to be enjoyed during isolation.
By Gonzalo Saá
How did the idea of re-adapting the play and make it an online version come about?
Throughout the quarantine, we received a lot of demand requesting that the Sex show, which was so successful when it was performed in person, filmed it and streamed it up so that people could buy a ticket and watch it. Personally, it seemed to me that the live show was such an atypical and cutting-edge show, that streaming a film was not the proper way to show it.
I was going through a lot of time in my head thinking about how to keep the essence of the show, but adapting it to the current environment. This is how the idea of "Virtual Sex" appeared. It is the first artistic "sexting", which, through interaction on different platforms, gives the public an exclusive experience that lasts 5 days. The public experiences a lot of emotions and somehow an erotic and virtual work is built by the sedimentation of the material that the artists generate over the days.
Since we announced the experience, the show became a magnet. The first experience exhausted their locations, this second is about to exhaust them. We are very happy for the repercussion and for the emotions that the public experiences when they experience these 5 days of virtual sex. The experience is summed up in buying a ticket to Alternativa Teatral and having a pass to the world of fantasies where a troupe of artists ask you a lot of questions regarding your own link with sex, enjoyment and morbidness. So I am very happy and happy with what is happening.
Did it cost you to convince the cast to do it virtually?
No, honestly, it wasn't hard for me to convince the cast. I think having a show as successful as the one we had, that has been cut abruptly by quarantine left us all feeling strangely looking forward to the show coming back as soon as possible. When I did the Zoom meeting to explain to the cast what we wanted to do, the idea was so novel, surprising and without background that they were magnetized. It also influenced the positivity and joy that he had when transferring the idea.
As we began to internalize, we realized that there was no history of an experience like Virtual Sex.
There is no history in the world of artistic sexting that lasts 5 days, that is multiplatform and multisensory. The entire company focused on putting as much creativity and as much development into the virtual aspect as possible. The actors and dancers were not used to virtual work either, so it was quite a challenge, but the truth is that the first one was spectacular and I am sure that this second one will be superior to the previous one.
How do you define this style of theater?
In a first aspect, I do not consider Sex in face-to-face theater simply a play. It was an experience that had to be lived, which takes the theater as another seasoning. It includes the choreography, the movement, the performance, the senses, the happening, the cabaret, etc. Sex is much more than a play. Specifically Sex Virtual I like to define it as an erotic artistic object rather than as a play.
Were you surprised that tickets were sold not only in Argentina but throughout the world?
Yes. The truth is that when I found out that the first experience had sold tickets to more than 24 countries in the world, I was very surprised. This led me to think about the uniqueness of what we were offering so that in places like Spain, France, Nicaragua, the Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, etc. are interested in the proposal. The uniqueness of what we offer caught our attention in places where you would never have imagined. For the second play we sold tickets in 27 countries.
That videos of some of your actors are leaked. Does it bother you? Does the same actors bother you?
The possibility of some of the material leaking was highly discussed with the cast. We were psychologically prepared, so to speak. It bothers me because it breaks the ritual of the experience that is intimate and private. At the same time it is absolutely harmless since the experience has something ephemeral, that which is filtered already has to do with the past and an experience that existed, so everything that is going to be done with it has nothing to do with the same. The part that I think is not good is that people who see something viralized can come to have an absolutely fragmented conception of the experience, in that aspect it seems to me that the mystery is much better. I also know what the laws of the game are. Powerful people get hacked and leak things, the same I can expect from an experience like sex.
From my personal side I try to live everything that happens in a positive way. I think it is very empathetic, very positive advertising. Many people who were not aware of the proposal found out about virtual sex because someone came up with the idea of being funny and filtering a video. On the other hand, it seems to me that there is an infinite amount of material generated in each of the experiences and if someone decides to filter a part that speaks to the importance that the experience is acquiring. Because something that does not interest anyone, does not filter. The recently filtered and viralized videos of Diego Ramos and Noelia Marzol quickly became a trend, that speaks to the interest that the proposal generated. The actors are the same as me. This response extends to the entire troupe.
Are you already planning the third experience?
Yes, the third one is already underway. It will take place from Wednesday, June 17 to Sunday, June 21. The truth is that we are very happy about the call, the repercussion, the results, because a work cooperative of almost 40 people was reactivated in an economic and artistic way. They are all things in favor that virtual sex has brought in addition to the great reception and good vibes of the public. It is also important the movement of what has happened to the viewer and has moved very good emotional things.
How do you see the Theater in the future?
I think that in the not too distant future we can dream of the reopened theaters. Perhaps reaching the second part of the year (September-October), and thus take advantage of the last part of the year to achieve a rearrangement to arrive at a summer as normal as possible. Of course, just as you can apply a protocol in a supermarket or in a pharmacy, you will be able to apply it in the theater and I am sure that not long ago we will be able to meet again with the artists and with the live shows. At least it's my expression of desire.
Tickets for the Sex experience are at Alternativa Teatral
$ 500 General Entry with access to all platforms
Vip entry of $ 1000 with access to all platforms and have private interaction by WhatsApp with the entire troupe
