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[title]Mauricio Dayub is a true artist. He felt like an actor since childhood and didn’t stop until he achieved his goal—which seemed very distant and utopian for that young Mauricio who lived in Paraná, Entre Ríos in the 60s. “How good that you trusted and how well you didn’t change your course,” says this established artist to the young boy who left his home in the La Alcantarilla neighborhood of Entre Ríos to pursue his dream of becoming an actor in Buenos Aires.
Today, Mauricio acts, directs, and owns a theater. He has ventured into and shone in cinema and streaming platforms, won many awards, and currently stars in "El Equilibrista" his one-man show in its seventh season, and "El Amateur" a play he wrote in the 90s that, despite the passage of time, remains as relevant as the first day.
We talked to Dayub, who is currently performing in Mar del Plata and the Argentine Atlantic Coast, about his passion for theater, how he handles social media, his plans for 2025, and much more.
What is the magic of theater for you? What do you enjoy the most about stepping on stage?
When I was a child, I really enjoyed playing target practice. I would ask for it for my birthday, ask the Three Kings for it, and go to the garage of my parents’ house to shoot. I liked knowing how accurate I was. As an adult, having become an artist, I feel that when I begin rehearsing a play, I throw the arrow in the dark in the theater, just like when I was a child. While I work, the arrow travels its path, and when it’s about to hit its target, I premiere and the lights go on in the theater. And from there, the audience tells me if I hit the mark or not. I’m no longer alone, like I was in the garage of my parents’ house. I believe this is the essence of my work—that’s the magic I find in theater.
"El Equilibrista," your one-man show, is in its seventh season. Why do you think the audience continues to choose it?
We’ll never know if we hit the mark when we try to answer “why something becomes a success,” but after having done 800 performances, I could tell you that the key might lie in the heart of "El Equilibrista," in the family secret I discovered in the town where my mother and grandparents were born in Italy. Because, in places like Madrid, Tel Aviv, Miami, Caracas, Punta del Este, Montevideo, and over 50 capitals and small towns across Argentina, I’ve found audiences who strongly identify with that part of the story.
"El Amateur" is also a classic of Argentine theater. In this case, you share the stage with Gustavo Luppi. Tell me what you enjoy most about this story and why you think the audience keeps choosing it
"El Amateur" is a highly inspiring play. I wrote it during a pivotal moment in my life, based on an image I saw as a child. It’s the result of an individual achievement that allows us to glimpse collective success. I think the audience continues to choose it not only because of the deep motivation it generates, but also because today, it’s increasingly difficult to follow our dreams, and "El Amateur" encourages the audience to leave the theater convinced that they must chase those personal goals that we often postpone.
"El Amateur is a highly inspiring play"
Regarding "El Equilibrista... In what aspects of your life do you feel like a tightrope walker?
My grandfather used to say, “The world belongs to those who dare to lose their balance.” I had to do that between the ages of 18 and 20 to get closer to myself, to stop being transformed by the societal influences that affect us all so much. I have to balance like all Argentinians—and I could say, like most people around the world—to be as authentic as possible, not to stray from myself or the true meaning of life. To value what truly matters and not stray from what is essential and from human nature.
"I have to balance like all Argentinians"
Is there a character you’ve yet to play? The one you say, “I would love to be cast as that”
In general, I find characters along the way. I’ve developed a way of working that involves writing, acting, and producing my projects. I often start them in my own theater, El Chacarerean. I don’t know what character I’ll encounter in the future, but I’m in that beautiful stage where magically, at any moment, the next one will appear.
"I’m in that beautiful stage where magically, at any moment, the next character will appear"
Outside of theater, how do you feel about social media?
I enjoy creating content for my shows, and I personally share it, working with editors and the team, who take the images. But I have to confess, I’m waiting for this trend of constantly showing how well we’re doing to go out of fashion. It’s a way of living that doesn’t align with my nature. I’ve always admired actors who didn’t boast about their success. But I’ve had to live through this era and I try to adapt.
What would you say to that young Mauricio from Paraná who dreamed of being an actor, but saw it as so distant and unattainable?
I’d tell him, “How good that you trusted.” “How great that you didn’t change your course.” “How good that even in times when you didn’t find support, you didn’t want to look like those who were successful. You didn’t lose your identity or change what you desired.” For me, being happy is becoming what I imagined I’d be when I was a child. Time has passed, and today, I am what I imagined.
"For me, being happy is becoming what I imagined I’d be when I was a child"
What projects are coming up for 2025 on the professional front?
2025 will be the year of the beginning of the farewell of "El Amateur" and "El Equilibrista." We have to return to some cities and visit others where we haven’t yet kept our promise, but above all, it will be the year when I can finally have time to start planning what’s next, the future show. It will likely also be a good year to accept some offers in film and streaming platforms that I’ve had to reject due to lack of time.
Tell me your top 5 favorite plays of all time. The ones you’ve seen and that left a mark. It doesn’t matter if they’re no longer in the repertoire
Here are a few, for what they meant to me at the time I saw them. But there are many more, and above all, magical and unforgettable moments from other works by Argentine authors and actors that have stayed with me, in my retina and heart.
- One of the first I saw in Paraná: “La novia de los forasteros” because my brother Gerardo worked in it. I was close to the rehearsals, and there, for the first time, I saw the backstage of what would become my future life.
- One of the first I saw in Santa Fe: “Los de la Mesa 10.” I highlight it because the version was pretty bad, but even though I was bored, it didn’t make me give up my desire to become an actor.
- One of the first I saw in Buenos Aires: “Espiral de Fuego,” a one-man show by Danilo Devizia, an actor who did a job so difficult to match, he was unique.
- “Vamos Shakespeare todavía,” with Alfredo Alcon. I saw in him what it is to have a “gift for acting”; he inspired me with his voice, his beauty, and his conviction. He loved what he chose to perform.
- “Wielopole-Wielopole” by Polish director Tadeuz Kantor, which I saw at the San Martín Theater. It was a turning point in my perception, even without understanding a word of the language.
For more information and tickets for "El Equilibrista" and "El Amateur," click here.