Spectators Become Directors at Yucatán Otoño Cultural

A local theater company dissolved the traditional boundaries between stage and spectator at an experimental performance this week, inviting audience members to direct the show as it unfolded.

Belacqua presented “Laboratorio SF: ¿podría usted dirigirme?” (Laboratory SF: Could You Direct Me?) on Thursday at the Centro Cultural del Mayab as part of Yucatán’s Otoño Cultural 2025. The interactive work transforms viewers from passive observers into active participants who control the creative process.

Actress Susan Tax, directed by Ulises Vargas, anchors the performance as a work in progress rather than a polished production. The format abandons conventional theatrical hierarchy and invites attendees to step into the director’s role.

Tax shifts the power dynamic completely. She asks people to guide her movements, suggest interpretations, and shape the performance in real-time. The rehearsal-like atmosphere breaks down the barrier that separates the typical performer from the viewer.

The Thursday presentation included video excerpts from interviews between Vargas and Tax, offering glimpses into what being an actress means to her. The intimate setup arranged chairs in a circle, placing Tax at eye level with everyone else. No stage separated her from the crowd.

The performance built toward an unexpected transformation. Tax became Milo, her dog. She scratched, sniffed and moved on all fours. Then she invited the audience to join her in this animal state. People smelled themselves, their neighbors, the walls, the air outside. Some ventured outdoors. Eventually, everyone howled together in what became a spontaneous canine chorus.

After the performance ended, Vargas and Tax led a conversation about the laboratory’s goals. Audience members shared their reactions and proposed ideas about what they’d just experienced.

This type of interactive theater has gained momentum globally, with companies using audience participation to create more immersive experiences. The approach challenges people to engage with art in a way that differs from sitting silently in a darkened auditorium.

Tax is a prominent scenic creator, actress and producer who cofounded Belacqua. She’s also active with the Oveja negra teatro collective and graduated from the Universidad de las Artes de Yucatán.

Vargas brings over 15 years of theater experience to his work. He also graduated from UNAY’s theater program and holds a master’s degree in scenic practice and visual culture. He founded Belacqua in 2013 and now coordinates the theater program at UNAY.

The company has traveled well beyond Yucatán. Their work has appeared at Mexico’s National Theater Showcase, Spain’s International Festival of Classical Theater in Almagro, and Colombia’s International Monologue Marathon.

Otoño Cultural 2025 runs through November across multiple municipalities in Yucatán. The Secretaría de la Cultura y las Artes organizes the festival, which brings free theater, music, dance, cinema and visual arts to communities throughout the state.

The festival opened in late October in Xocén with “Juan Balam,” a bilingual Maya and Spanish production featuring over 30 actors. Programming includes international guests like French director Mohamed El Khatib and Mexican singer Julieta Venegas, who performs November 16 in Valladolid.

Belacqua’s laboratory experiment represents the kind of boundary-pushing work the festival aims to showcase. By eliminating the distance between artist and audience, the company asks fundamental questions about how theater functions and who controls its meaning.

Learn More

Belacqua’s laboratory experiment was presented as an open session format, suggesting the company may stage additional performances as the work continues to develop. Those interested in upcoming Otoño Cultural events can find the complete schedule on the Yucatán state government’s website or follow announcements from Sedeculta. The festival continues through the end of November with performances spanning theater, music and visual arts across the peninsula.