Devised Theatre in Cuba

Devised theatre, Cuba today, this production

Improvised Theatre in Cuba

“Déjate llevar, como un río, hacia tu verdad personal” – Miguel Abreu

(Let yourself go, like a river, go toward your personal truth.)

Cuba has a rich history of experimental and ensemble-devised performance.

Native Taíno people created areitos; ceremonial singing and dancing with oral stories and pantomime. The first theater in Cuba, El Coliseo opened in 1775. During the 1700’s and 1800’s there were also many outdoor temporary theaters created with simple covered awnings. Theater life in Cuba continued to grow and flourish before censorship in the 1970’s (a time known as the grey decade) and extreme poverty during the Special Period (1990’s) drastically reduced the number of theaters able to operate. There are still plenty of challenges for theaters in Cuba today and yet, as always, theater continues.

Ludi Teatro (who helped with this production’s Havana-based auditions) is a Havana-based devised theater company. Last fall they were expected to be at Chicago’s International Latino Theater Festival, however due to visa problems, they were unable to attend.

Teatro Buendia participated in 2010’s Latino Theatre Festival at the Goodman Theatre. Their work is discussed here and a sample from their performance is here.

El Ciervo Encantado [The Enchanted Deer] was established by Nelda Castillo, who was also a founder of Teatro Buendia. Their work has has been described as, “one of the most creative and unsettling forces in the Cuban scenic landscape from the first half of the 1990s up to the present.”  Read more in this detailed explanation of this Cuban style of ensemble theater. Or watch a filmed version of a recent piece presented in New York entitled Departures: A Migration Story.

On a broader scale, this article from AmericanTheatre.org discusses a hopeful era of more collaboration between Cuban and American theatre groups:

After so many years of cultural isolation, now is the moment for the U.S. theatre field to reengage with Cuba. But let’s learn from our past. As two matured nations, let’s see if together we can figure out how to let the best aspects of our cultures and economies mingle with each other, without letting the worst cross the borders. As theatre practitioners, we’re trained to listen, think, feel, laugh and play. Let’s rise to the challenge and become the model for other sectors of society. – Sage Lewis, American Theatre Magazine

El Ciervo Encantado