Mexico City – Teatro UNAM 2025 new season begins on July 31 with five original and socially charged productions. These explore intersections of the body, territory, memory, and artistic language. The season promises a diverse mix of experimental formats, classic reinterpretations, feminist narratives, and community-based documentary theater. All are staged across various venues of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Each of these works offers a different lens through which audiences can engage with the complex realities of contemporary life. They are framed by the university’s commitment to accessible and critically engaged performance.
A poetic performance to open the season
The season kicks off with La tuerca: natura réplica, a performance-lecture by Colombia’s Mapa Teatro. It will be staged at the MUAC auditorium. Set for July 31 at 6 p.m., this free-admission piece blends filmed essay, theatrical gesture, and ethnofiction. It creates a poetic narrative about isolated communities in the Colombian Amazon.
Artists Giulia Palladini and Rolf Abderhalden present a speculative fiction piece that is part of the cycle La digestión de la tierra: repertorios de abono y escombro. It is curated through a collaboration between Materia Abierta, MUAC, Casa del Lago, and Teatro UNAM. The work invites viewers to rethink stage creation as a collective, sensory form of critical thought.
A tribute to Rosario Castellanos through layered storytelling
Returning to the Teatro Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Prendida de las lámparas offers a moving tribute to the life and words of Rosario Castellanos. It marks the 100th anniversary of the iconic Mexican writer’s birth. The piece, written by Elena Guiochins and directed by Mariana García Franco, reconstructs Castellanos’s life through fragmented scenes and polyphonic voices, beginning with her death in Tel Aviv.
Starring acclaimed actors Luisa Huertas, Dulce Mariel, and Ana Karen Peraza from the Compañía Nacional de Teatro, the play will run from July 31 to August 23. The shows are Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 6 p.m.
The production offers a personal yet critical look at the intersections of writing, gender, and identity in Castellanos’s work and life.
A comedic take on destiny and society
One of the most beloved public offerings, the Carro de Comedias de la UNAM, returns to the Explanada de la fuente at the Centro Cultural Universitario. It brings a fresh take on Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s classic El gran teatro del mundo.
This contemporary adaptation by Andrés Carreño reimagines the 17th-century play as a satirical and musical performance. It tackles fate, performance, and social roles. Characters like the King, Vanity, Poverty, Labor, and Moderation interact in a vibrant spectacle. This performance critiques societal expectations and invites the audience to consider self-authorship.
The play is scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m., and admission is free.
Feminist reimaginings of the body and beauty
Set to debut on August 9 at Teatro Santa Catarina in Coyoacán, Esto no es lo que parece is a feminist performance. It challenges beauty standards and explores the body as a site of memory and transformation.
Directed by Isabel Toledo and created in collaboration with Karen “Sawí” Basurto, Edurne Goded, Daniela Luque, Michelle Menéndez, and Tae Solana Shimada, the piece is an evocative exploration of re-existence. Through intimate testimonies and bold staging, it confronts the systems of control that shape bodily narratives. It embraces bodily diversity as a source of power.
This project is a joint production between Pentimento and Teatro UNAM.
Documentary theater rooted in economic survival
Finally, Mi madre y el dinero will be staged for two exclusive performances at the MUAC auditorium on August 15 and 16 at 6 p.m. Directed by Anacarsis Ramos in collaboration with his mother Josefina Orlaineta, this theater-documentary blends personal archive and family memory. It traces the economic survival story of a working-class woman from Campeche.
With over 60 years of informal labor behind her, Orlaineta’s life becomes the material for a powerful reflection. It discusses precarious labor, domestic economies, and invisible work—produced by the independent group Pornotráfico. The performance is free to attend, though seating is limited.
A season built on reflection and experimentation
With this mix of experimental formats, historical homage, and social commentary, Teatro UNAM 2025 new season continues the institution’s mission to foster dialogue. It aims to create connections between audiences and the performing arts. Each of the five productions presents unique perspectives on identity, labor, memory, and social structure. The season offers a space not just for entertainment, but for critical and collective imagination.
The full schedule, ticket information, and updates can be found on www.teatrounam.com.mx and via their social media platforms @TeatroUNAM.
Teatro UNAM, Mexico City theater, UNAM culture, Rosario Castellanos, Mapa Teatro, feminist theater, El gran teatro del mundo, Coyoacán, MUAC
