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 :fr:Jeunesse péroniste|Péronist youth organisation. His parents planned that he should become a lawyer, although Arias himself developed an early determination to work inthe 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 He participated in the theatrical courses provided by the Alliance Française, but was quickly discouraged by its outdated and classical approach.
Theatrical career
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", 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", a music hall parody, and by "Heartbreak of an English she-cat", 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. His "TSE group" having been successfully translated from South America, staged productions in a range of Paris theatres, presenting new creations including "The North Star", "The Venetian Twins" by Goldoni, "The Jungle Beast" based by Marguerite Duras on a novel by Henry James, and "The seated woman" by Copi. In 1985 Arias was appointed to direct the :fr:Théâtre de la Commune|Commune Theatre at Aubervilliers on the north side of Paris. Here he spent six years working on the classical repertoire, on contemporary productions and on ironic music hall reinterpretations, ranging across Marivaux, Maeterlinck, Mérimée, Goldoni and others. His musical production "Family of Artists" underwent a reprise in Argentina. He also collaborated again with his compatriot, Copi, for "The steps of the Sacré-Cœur". He was invited to produce The Tempest in the Palais des Papes for the Avignon Festival, and the Comédie-Française invited him to stage Schnitzler's La Ronde at the Paris Odéon Theatre. In 1992 he began a series of original creations that enabled him to invent a new theatrical language blending dance and music with poetic dialogues. Examples include the award winning review "Mortadela", Folies Bergères reviews Fous des Folies and Faust Argentin and a new staging of "Heartbreak of an English she-cat" which won Molière awards for its staging and costumes.
Opera
Alfredo Arias has also brought his very personal touch to opera, in France, in Italy in Spain and Argentina. Operas staged by Alfredo Arias include the following:
