THEATER IN BUENOS AIRES

Politti felt like he had met all possible professional expectations in his native province of Mendoza and aspired towards further growth in Buenos Aires. His decision was stronger than his fear of the large city and his precarious economic situation, and so he searched for the means to make the move. “Suddenly, I felt the need to connect with another type of experience. I felt distressed, like what I had learned with Tomalcheva and done in Mendoza were totally different things. I longed to expand my mind…I had been thinking about it for quite some time but the opportunity had not presented itself. Then one day it did, by means of a contest hosted by the National Arts Fund, for actors living outside of the country’s capital. The winner would receive a six-month scholarship to perfect his or her learning with teachers like Oscar Fessler and Antonio Cunill Cabanellas. I won the scholarship and in 1966 came to Buenos Aires definitively, despite the fact that the scholarship only covered my hotel expenses. I was decided. I did not come to Buenos Aires in search of fame, but rather came in search of possibilities, which in Mendoza were limited. When I had used up the scholarship, the struggle began because I had to cover my expenses with whatever came out of my own pocket. I got back in touch with the people I had met during previous trips – Pedro Escudero, in particular. The latter ended up trusting me with a role in the play “El vicario,” which was produced by Osvaldo Terranova who had run into a lot of trouble with censorship. Three months of rehearsals ended in just under a week of performances in Buenos Aires, a week in La Plata and another week in Córdoba.”

 

His time at the San Martín Theater

A new encounter between Politti and Pedro Escudero would seal the actor’s participation in the San Martín Theater’s full-time cast. During six years, Politti participated in twelve productions, which not only allowed him to achieve great recognition among the critics and the public, but also secured him a vital experience for his professional growth. He went from Shakespearian play to Shakespearian play. Between “Coriolanus” and “Macbeth,” he performed in “La novia de los forasteros,” “El juez de los divorcios,” “La cabeza del dragón,” “Adriano VII,” “Rosencrantz and Guildestern Are Dead,” “Romance de lobos,” “Cremona,” “Yvonne, Princess of Burgandy,” “El círculo de tiza caucasiano” and “Antígona Vélez.”

 

Excerpts from “Luis Politti: cadencias y otros cielos”,
Fabián Stolovitsky Ediciones Corregidor, Buenos Aires, 1995