Rubén Darío Salazar, Awarded for Being and Creating Happiness Through Theater

It was recent news: Rubén Darío Salazar Taquechel, founder and director of the Teatro de las Estaciones company, received the "Guillermo Heras" Award for Ibero-American Stage Management, granted within the framework of the Ibero-American Year of the Performing Arts.

I have always said it: Rubén is a genius. Those of us who had the privilege of being children or adolescents enchanted by him will always be grateful that he traded silliness for sensory challenges, for exercises in sensitivity and intelligence. He never thought about creating works for children, but for the men and women we would become the day after, or many years after, leaving the theater.

Right now, the creator of that happy place which is the Teatro de las Estaciones—whether in the Pepe Camejo hall or any other stage they perform on—is currently recovering from one of those viruses that has kept the ever-tranquil city of Matanzas on edge. Yet, this past weekend, he went to the theater, because that is the only place where he finds true joy. He expressed this on his Facebook wall:

*“The actors and technicians preparing everything, the puppets in their place, the lights well-directed, the sound adjusted. Playing the songs from ‘UN RASTRO EN LAS ESTRELLAS,’ our puppet version of The Little Prince at Teatro de Las Estaciones, feeling the audience outside, waiting, eager to come in to see the show. Taking the pre-show photo, presenting the performance... the music that can already be heard, that strange and unique joy of the performance, even if it's in a borrowed theater (Sala Teatro El Mirón Cubano), at a different time (10:00 am). The children and families have come, and that is the greatest prize. Some are seeing us for the first time, others are repeat attendees and know the paths of the magic of the figures, the ones that make us all happy... What a wonder it is to make theater! Convalescing and all, worried about a thousand things in society, art, and life, today I am an immensely HAPPY man.”*

And so, as a servant whose greatest reward is the infinite pleasure of creating, he accepted the award they had just bestowed upon him:

“I am a man of Ibero-America, I speak Spanish, and therefore, I also make theater in Spanish. I share my theater in Spanish. Receiving an award like this Recognition for Ibero-American Cultural Management—Guillermo Heras, and Guillermo was a spectacular Spanish manager, a man of pure theater—well, it has great significance and is a great celebration for the soul, above all because theater is made by sharing.

“It is a celebration I share with all my colleagues who have helped me work, to do what I have done all these years, whether publishing a book, making a documentary, filming a video clip, a teleplay, creating a show, an exhibition, giving a workshop, organizing a conference, an event...

“And really, how good it is to be rewarded for doing what one enjoys, for doing it the way one likes, for doing what one is passionate about and what makes one feel alive. Awards should never, ever paralyze, stop, or stagnate you. While one is alive, while one is standing on the earth, one has many things left to do. Always, in the theater, in life, there are things to do, to improve, to develop, to investigate, or to rescue. So, to live is also to keep doing things.”

According to a note released by the National Council of the Performing Arts, “this award aims to highlight those who have contributed outstandingly to the development of the performing arts in the region. The career of Salazar Taquechel, marked by his commitment to Cuban theater, artistic direction, and cultural promotion, consolidates him as an essential figure in the Ibero-American stage arena.”

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff