Alfredo Arias (theatre producer)

Alfredo Arias (born 4 March 1944) is a theatre producer, actor and playwright. Born in a Buenos Aires suburb, he has subsequently acquired French nationality and, since 1969 or 1970, been based in Paris.

Arias was born in Lanús, an industrial city contiguous with Buenos Aires. His father was a factory worker: output included espadrilles and tarpaulins. His relationship with his mother was troubled and Arias joined the . His parents planned that he should become a lawyer, although Arias himself developed an early determination to work in the arts. Aged 11 he was enrolled in a military school after which he was required to pass a legal qualification.

He participated in the theatrical courses provided by the Alliance Française, but was quickly discouraged by its outdated and classical approach.

With like minded friends Alfredo Arias founded a theatrical group in Buenos Aires called "TSE" in 1968, and presented a series of original productions blending fantasy, magic and humour, "Dracula", "Aventuras" and "Aventuras". However, identified as both a communist and a homosexual he began to targeted by official repression from proxies for the military dictatorship which then held sway in Argentina. He decided to leave Argentina at the end of 1968, settling briefly in New York City before moving on to Paris.

His first piece in Paris, "History of the Theatre" ("Histoire du Théâtre"), and his production of a play about Eva Perón, written by his fellow exile, Copi, were both commended for their originality of tone, elements of fantasy, and above all for their radically new theatrical approach. They were followed by "Police Comedy de luxe" ("Comédie policière ; Luxe"), a music hall parody, and by "Heartbreak of an English she-cat" ("Peines de cœur d'une chatte anglaise"), based on the novel of Balzac and the illustrations of Grandville, in which the characters wear masks, which ran for more than 300 performances in France and enjoyed commensurate success internationally, especially in Italy.

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