La Mancha

Established in 1995 by the La Mancha Theatre Company, the La Mancha School is situated on the edge of the Andes in Santiago, Chile and offers a Two Year Diploma and a range of postgraduate courses.

The 3-Year Diploma Course begins with silence in an empty space. The performer’s body is understood as a structure within that space, an instrument for the communication of ideas, emotions and appetites, an intelligent machine and model of organization. Based upon the observation of nature and the physical laws that govern it, the student is guided on a somatic journey of creative discovery in contemporary performance making.

Through play (imagining, creating in the moment and developing relationships with other performers and materials), the students develop not only a responsive body, but also the capacity to be open and imaginative.

Students come to La Mancha from Latin America, U.S.A and Europe. Graduates have gone on to work in film, television and to form national and international theatre and dance Companies. They are also teaching and directing workshops in schools, local communities, hospitals, prisons, and indigenous communities.

Postgraduate diplomas in Directing, Acting, Pedagogy and Theatre in Human Development are available to Diploma graduates from the La Mancha School. These courses are designed to develop and extend the theatre practitioner’s professional skills in the making or teaching of contemporary performance