“La Línea” by Luis Thenon Arrives at the Teatro de La Aduana Alberto Cañas

The Ministry of Culture and Youth, through the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar and its artistic program, the National Theatre Company, presents “La Línea”, the first centralized production of the 2025 season.

The play runs from May 22 to June 15, 2025
The production continues the centralized creations of the National Theatre Company
Recommended for audiences aged 18 and over

War has brought devastation. A woman, a man, and a young person embark on a journey toward an alleged border beyond which lies a possibility of salvation. But the path is riddled with challenges and deceptions. Death and violence lurk everywhere. This play features a strong visual and sound presence, with moments of grotesque irruptions, and at the same time, a parallel world characteristic of Latin American magical realism.

Starting May 22, the Teatro de La Aduana Alberto Cañas opens its doors to “La Línea”, a play by Argentine playwright and director Luis Thenon. The show will run until June 15, 2025.

Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth, stated that “this play, which inaugurates the 2025 season of Costa Rica’s National Theatre Company, is the first word of a new narrative: that of a country that sees in theatre not only a mirror, but also a compass. A way to read what hurts, to name the unnameable, and to reconnect with our shared humanity.”

“La Línea” is journey and border, body and absence, exile and poem. Its strength lies not only in what it says, but in everything it leaves pulsing beneath the surface. And that’s why we chose it to open this cycle: because we believe that art does not avoid difficult questions—it places them at the center, with beauty, with rawness, with dignity,” Rodríguez concluded.

Luis Thenon stated: “This play, in its first version, was written in 2001, in San José, Costa Rica. Since then, the text has undergone constant rewrites. The historical context that sparked its original impulses has continued its course. Unfortunately, the reality in which the fable is set has not changed. On the contrary, recent global events at the beginning of 2025 only renew its urgent relevance. This story could happen at any time, anywhere in the world.”

Laura Santamaría, artistic director of the National Theatre Company, stated: “This year we are enthusiastically celebrating the continuation of centralized productions, a line of work that represents the historical essence of the CNT since its founding in 1971. These productions, born from the institution itself, allow us to build solid, diverse proposals that are committed to Costa Rican audiences, and they also create employment opportunities for actors, actresses, directors, producers, and stage creatives.”

Performances of “La Línea” will take place from Thursday to Sunday at 7:00 p.m.; on Sundays at 5:00 p.m., at the Teatro de La Aduana. Ticket prices are: General admission ₡8,000 (VAT included); students and senior citizens ₡4,000 (VAT included). The show is for audiences aged 18 and over (ID will be required).

Tickets can be purchased at the electronic box office of the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar via the link: https://boleteria.teatromelico.go.cr/eventperformances.asp?evt=646

About Luis Thenon
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thenon settled in Canada in 1979. He holds a Master’s degree in Art and a Ph.D. in Literature from Laval University, where, since 1992, he has been a full professor in the Theatre program and the Master’s and Doctorate programs in Performing and Screen Arts, and director of the Spanish Literature Ph.D. program. He has also taught as a visiting professor in the Master’s in Arts program at the University of Costa Rica. He has published books of short stories, poetry, novels, and plays.

LA LÍNEA | TECHNICAL SHEET

General direction, dramaturgy, and staging: Luis Thenon
Assistant director: Melissa Alfaro Morales
Production assistant: Andrea Chacón Morales
Aesthetic concept: Luis Thenon
Set design: Luis Thenon
Costume design: Wendy Hall Fernández
Lighting design: Giovanni Sandí Castillo
Makeup and hair design: Priscilla McGuinness Goebe
Video scene: Gustavo Abarca Chacón
Soundscape creation and editing: Raúl Arias Cordero
Set construction: Giovanni Sandí, Ramiro Portuguéz, Gabriel Apú, Minor Quesada, Michael González, Johnny Barboza
Costume making: Wendy Hall Fernández, Saritha López
Audiovisual recording and graphic design: Hellen Hernández Sánchez