Jazz Vilá Projects, Paradigm of Cuban Theater

Passion, dedication and sacrifice have been key ingredients in the more than 10 years of artistic career of the Cuban theater company Jazz Vilá Projects.

For its creator and founder, Jazz Vilá, theater is a kind of religion or belief that modifies people, transcends and leads to a devotion in the attempt to transmit.

Vilá declared exclusively to the Cuban News Agency that despite the presentations made allegorically for the company's anniversary on April 8, another premiere is planned for the public before the end of 2024.

-What projects is Jazz Vilá Project currently working on?

As part of the celebrations in honor of the founding of the theater group, we intend to premiere “Tóxica” before the end of 2024.

The work would be a fairly direct continuity of the rhythm of “Farándula” since it reinforces the sense of purest entertainment.

Furthermore, together with the screenwriter Amílcar Salatti and  director Magda González Grau, we are in the phase of reviewing and revising the scripts of the series “Farándula” in its adaptation for television.

The work contains eight chapters and is inspired by the original plot, although it further develops the characters' stories, and is supported by others that do not appear in the play or the film.

“It’s not possible to ensure that it will be released by 2024 but the process has a good pace.”

In general terms, we have other proposals and calendars for presentations of “Farándula” and “Candela” in Havana, different provinces of the country and abroad.

“Candela” is a flare and “Farándula” refuses to die.

-The proposal Rascacielos officially began the campaign for the company's tenth anniversary. Is another season on stage for the public to enjoy?

“The re-release was only done in tribute to a date as important as that; I think “Rascacielos” should rest for at least 10 more years.”

-Why do “Rascacielos” (2014), “Eclipse” (2016), “Farándula” (2018) and “Candela” (2022) define the group as an excellent model of convergence between art and market?

Since its founding, Jazz Vilá Projects has established ties of this nature with state entities or private sector actors that support the dissemination of the work.

Working on the promotion through different channels, platforms and formats is a great feature of the company, and everything is possible thanks to this flexibility.

“Precisely, these performances are great banners of the convergence between art and market elevated to its maximum power.”

-Personally, what are your main paradigms within theater?

“I’d dare say that Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) for the way he modified the theatrical body, and on the Cuban side, Héctor Quintero (1942-2011), whom I was only able to see once and was impressive for his way to give this art to the public.”

“About Quintero, I remember how his works marked milestones and filled large spaces.”

-Why is acting an indispensable part of your life?

There’s no Jazz Vilá without theater and I could not live without it because it’s already part of me.

“During this decade of experience, the greatest lesson has been, perhaps, to understand the Cuban public a little more as a spectator and in this way feel more committed to my role of creating in life.”

-What state do you think Cuban theater is in right now?

As a matter of fact, this art in Cuba has a long standing tradition and I think that it currently lacks structure and needs a kind of renewal to keep it alive.

Many times the messages of the works do not reach today's viewers and for the opposite to happen, the existing theatrical diversity must be understood and that the ways of doing things have changed.

The Jazz Vilá Projects company was born on April 8, 2014 with a small group of actors with the desire to bring a new theatrical experience to young people, and was officially established as a group of the Havana Theater Center in January 2015.

Hand in hand with its creator and founder, recognized faces from different generations of acting in Cuba have worked in it, like Broselianda Hernández (1964-2020), Dania Splinter, Blanca Rosa Blanco, Beatriz Viñas, Enrique Bueno, and Marlon Pijuán.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff