Fourth Latin American Monologue Festival Opens in Cuba

Havana, Feb 12 (Prensa Latina) The 4th Latin American Monologue Festival and Terry Award 2019 opens Tuesday in the Cuban province of Cienfuegos with the participation of theatrical groups from six nations.

The competition, which is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Casa de las Americas and the National Council of Performing Arts of Cuba, will be held until February 16.

The festival, according to the general director of the event, Miguel Cañellas Sueiras, with a two-yearly frequency, represents a scenic forum of continental importance where the first figures of the country and Ibero-America meet, confronting and exchanging ideas.

This edition honors Cuban theater director and actor Francisco 'Pancho' Garcia's artistic life, the 55th anniversary of Conjunto magazine, the 60th anniversary of Casa de las Americas, and the 200th anniversary of Cienfuegos.

The competition will be opened by Cuban group Retazos, with a street show, and Teatro del Misterio, with the one-man show My Dear Shirley, performed by Loreta Estevez Canto.

The festival's program will conclude with the Terry Award 2019, in the categories of Best Staging, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Research.

The competing works were chosen by a technical-artistic selection committee made up of theatre critic and researcher Viviam Martinez Tabares, playwright Atilio J. Caballero Menendez and Uruguayan executive producer and cultural manager Gonzalo Morales Colman.

The monologues focus on the social problems of each country, the feminist struggles against gender violence and the emancipation of women and traditions, origins and cultural identity.

In parallel with the competition, workshops and lectures will be held for both the stage and the general public, at universities, popular councils far from the provincial capital and main streets, which will host street theatre presentations, puppets and monologues.

Other Cuban provinces will also become secondary venues of the festival, such as Villa Clara, Matanzas, Sancti Spiritus and Havana.