Cuba Holds Latin American and Caribbean Theater Season

Organized by Casa de las Americas, the biennial event came back after being suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuba hosts the 11th Latin American and Caribbean Theater Season, "Mayo Teatral," with mask requirements and coronavirus safety protocols in place.

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In the Cuban capital of Havana, where most of the country's playhouses are located, streets and public areas have been adorned with festival-related banners.

Organized by the Cuban cultural center Casa de las Americas, the biennial event came back after being suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vivian Martinez, curator and director of Mayo Teatral, has called on people to participate in the event.

"It is really inspiring to see people enjoying plays again. This is a way to send a message of unity amid the challenges posed by the pandemic," she said.

Running through Sunday, the theater season has gathered actors, playwrights, and theater directors from a dozen countries. Among them was Argentinian theater director Mauricio Kartun, who came to attend the Cuban premiere of his latest play.

"I am very happy to be here," he said. "This interaction between the artists and the audience was necessary for the vitality of theater."

The event features seminars, talks, and presentations of plays in Havana as well as in the Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Villa Clara, and Cienfuegos. Theaters in Cuba reopened in the second half of 2021 after the Caribbean nation closed its cultural venues in March 2020.