“Brilliant…A harrowing artistic response to Chile’s recent wave of social unrest, which has been described as the country’s worst since the end of the Pinochet regime. ‘Oasis’ takes nightmarish and surreal contemporary events as starting points for provocative theatrical explorations….[and] raises uncomfortable questions about power, art and ethics. The audience sat in stunned silence” – A. J. Goldmann, The New York Times

Chile’s Teatro La Re-sentida returns to NYU Skirball with “Oasis of Impunity,” cited by The New York Times as one of the top European productions of 2022 when it was performed in Berlin. Hailed as “brilliant and harrowing,” Oasis is one of those extreme works of art that is all the more disturbing for the delicate artistry of its execution.

In late 2019, Chile was convulsed by social unrest as over 1.2 million people took to the streets in mass demonstrations and riots against rising inequality. The government declared a state of emergency and deployed the army to restore law and order. In the first weeks of unrest, over 26 people were killed, 2,500 injured and nearly 28,000 detained, including hundreds of women and children, according to a report issued by the National Institute for Human Rights. Since then, there have been numerous reports of security forces torturing and raping protesters.

Darkly comic in some places, poetic or balletic in others, “Oasis of Impunity” raises issues related not only to Chilean society but to all global democracies now questioning their history.

La Re-sentida (The Resentful), under the artistic leadership of Marco Layera, is an internationally renowned collective of Chilian artists who view theater as a critical instrument with major political responsibility. Their work embodies the pulses, visions, and ideas of their generation and assumes as their duty the desecration of taboos, along with reflection generated through provocation. They have performed in more than 17 countries.

Performed in Spanish with supertitles.

NYU Skirball is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, historically a center of resistance, dissent and free thinking. NYU Skirball’s programing reflects this history and embraces today’s renegade artists and companies, presenting works that aim to engage, provoke and inspire audiences. NYU Skirball is NYC’s home for cutting-edge performance, artistic research, and discourse, holding close to James Baldwin’s dictum that “artists are here to disturb the peace.” The 800-seat theatre provides a home for internationally renowned artists, innovators, and thinkers and presents ground-breaking events ranging from re-inventions of the classics to cutting-edge premieres, in genres ranging from dance, theatre and performance arts to comedy, music and film.

TICKETS

Tickets begin at $50 and can be purchased online, by visiting the box office in person, Tuesday – Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm, or by calling 212.998.4941. NYU Skirball is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. www.nyuskirball.org.