Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th Performed at an Event Organized by the Argentinian Government

Ayn Rand’s 1934 Broadway hit, Night of January 16th, was performed at an event organized by the Ministry of Justice of Argentina on August 13. Notably, it was attended by President Javier Milei and other public figures. The event’s occasion was the presentation of a new trial-by-jury law that seeks to implement faster and more efficient judicial processes.

The event is a significant example of how Rand’s works have gained prominence in Latin America in the last few years. With its partner organization, the Ayn Rand Center Latin America, ARI has led multiple educational initiatives and conferences in the region to introduce audiences to Rand’s philosophy. These efforts have been successful, resulting in at least 10 percent of Ayn Rand University students coming from the region. But neither organization was involved in its production, which indicates that there is an independent growing interest in Rand’s literary works. Indeed, the theater room where the play was performed was at full capacity with five hundred attendees.

Night of January 16th centers on the trial of Karen Andre, accused of murdering her lover and boss, the controversial financier Bjorn Faulkner. As we hear the inconclusive evidence for each side of the case, we see the contrasting psychologies and fundamental outlooks on life of the different witnesses, which soon makes us wonder whether Andre’s true crime is murder or her independence and refusal to conform to conventional social norms.

Rand introduces a creative twist in the play’s ending: the verdict is left to twelve audience members who act as jurors. This fictional exercise in judging the facts of a criminal case gives the audience a flavor of what a jury trial is like, but Rand meant to dramatize something deeper than a judicial procedure. She wrote that, by inviting the audience to think through the facts of Andre’s case, the play highlights the philosophical “confrontation of two extremes, two opposite ways of facing existence: passionate self-assertiveness, self-confidence, ambition, audacity, independence — versus conventionality, servility, envy, hatred, power-lust.”

Night of January 16th has enjoyed rising popularity in the Buenos Aires theater scene in recent years. The company that staged the play at the event has been performing it since 2021. As Rand’s name and philosophy gain even wider circulation in the region, new bright minds will be inspired to actively explore her ideas. If you want to discover the play for yourself, order a copy today.