Heidi Abderhalden Cortés

Heidi Abderhalden (born 1962) is a Swiss-Colombian artist and theatre director. In 1984 she co-founded and since then she has co-directed Mapa Teatro in Bogotá. Together with her co-director and brother, Abderhalden has been recognised for her notable efforts in breaking down cultural barriers through fifty years of dedicated work. In 2018, they were honoured with the Goethe Medal, a prestigious award in the field of culture and arts.

Life She was born in Bogotá. Her mother was Colombian and her father was Swiss. Her family's first language was French and she and her brother left Colombia after school there to study at the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. Abderhalden studied all aspects of theatre production in Lausanne and Paris and became a director and a Dramaturge. They based their theatre in a building that was saved from decay and destruction by their interest and occupation. Their theatre collective has functioned for over fifty years and at many times in a country under arms facing internal conflict. It is now known as one of the leading artistic companies in Colombia. In 2000 the theatre company took on a former hotel as their base in a less well to do area of Bogotá. and it records the oral history of women affected by war. It is known as “La Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres project” (The Peaceful Route of Women project).

In 2018 she and her brother Rolf were awarded the Goethe Medal for their work with Mapa Teatro in breaking down cultural barriers.