Ministry of Culture and Palace of Fine Arts Open the Sixth National Theater Festival

The Theater festivities, dedicated this year to Maestro Servio Uribe, opened with the play “Rosa,” staged by the National Theater Company.

Santo Domingo, September 6, 2019 – The Ministry of Culture and the General Directorate of Fine Arts formally opened last Thursday the XI National Theater Festival of Santo Domingo – (FENATE 2019) – during an event headed by the General Director of the Fine Arts Palace, Félix Germán, at the Palace of Fine Arts.

The Director of the Ministry´s Cabinet, Billy Hasbún, represented the Minister of Culture Eduardo Selman during the event. Minister of Culture Selman presented his formal excuses for not being at the event, due to previous commitments in New York City.

Accompanying Director Hasbún were Karina Noble, Director of the Sixth FENATE Festival, Félix Germán, Haffe Serulle, Servio Uribe – to whom the Festival is dedicated to – and his wife Alejandrina de la Cruz Tejada.

In the event´s opening remarks, delivered by Karina Noble, she stated that “FENATE will feature a program that consists of 25 theater productions, 17 for adults, five for children and families, and three street plays. We are also very pleased to highlight that, in compliance with the Festival´s guidelines, 19 of the 25 works that will be presented are written by Dominican playwrights.”

At the end of her remarks, she specifically thanked Minister of Culture Eduardo Selman, and the Palace of Fine Arts Director, for the work and support they provided the organizers of the event, whose goal is to promote Dominican theater.

Director Félix Germán, who also delivered brief remarks, expressed his satisfaction that this year´s celebration of FENATE is dedicated to playwright Uribe for his contributions to local theater ever since he was a young man in the Dominican Republic.

In referring to Uribe, he said: “ Uribe has personally influenced me in my family life, as well as in our personal and professional relations.” He expressed that the honor bestowed on Uribe is especially significant to him because it occurs precisely when he is currently the Director of the Fine Arts Palace.

In his remarks, Germán also mentioned the complete refurbishing of the Manuel Rueda Hall, after being shut down for eight years, and indicated that the country now has an excellent venue that will be extremely important to the School of Fine Arts.

Before the official presentation of Maestro Uribe, Master of Ceremony Mauvi Espinosa asked the public in attendance to honor distinguished theater Maestro Flor de Bethania Abreu with a standing ovation. She recently passed away.

Espinosa read Uribe´s biography, highlighting his artistic career, and also his many years as an educator, military officer and scenic director who has trained various generations of actors that today are master performers in the Dominican Republic.

Before completing this part of the program, Director Félix Germán proceeded to present an Honor plaque for his many accomplishments in the world of Dominican theater, including the founding of “Teatro Caliope,” among others.

Words of Appreciation

In his brief appreciation remarks, Maestro Uribe thanked the Minister of Culture and his representative at the event, Billy Hasbún, as well as all those who participated in the Festival´s organization.

He states that although he has helped five generations of those who have shared his passion for theater, it is a pleasure to see how many have been able to express their talent in various fields.

He also expressed: “If today I am honored by the Theater sector, I must share it with the professors of the School of Dramatic Arts.”

After the opening event, the National Theater Company came on stage to perform “Rosa,” an adaptation of a short story written by Dominican writer and politician Juan Bosch, directed by Fausto Rojas.

The attending audience gathered at the Máximo Avilés Blonda Hall at the Palace of Fine Arts, There they enjoyed they enjoyed the play “Rosa,” which depicts life in the Dominican Republic at the beginning of the 20th century.

The FENATE

The FENATE 2019 is organized by the National System of Festivals. It will run until Sunday, September 15, with the participation of more than 20 theater groups in Santo Domingo, Santiago and La Romana. There will be a total of 50 presentations, with an entrance fee of RD$125.

The Festival, which this year runs under the title “The Theater Moves You,” will offer a program that includes theater for adults, for the entire family, and for those who enjoy Street Theater. The presentations will take place at the Palace of Fine Arts, at the National School of Fine Arts, Casa de Teatro and Teatro Guloya (both in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo) and the Bar at the National Theater.

As in each Festival, organizers include an active program of workshops and conferences on theater, among other activities.

Tickets are available at the Palace of Fine Arts, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The presentations at the Cultural Center Narciso González, situated in the northern section of Santo Domingo, are free of charge but the tickets must be picked up at the Palace of Fine Arts.

This year FENATE will introduce a special program for students. The goal is to promote Dominican theater among the younger generation. In order to coordinate this part of the program, organizers have worked with the Ministry of Education.

THE WORKS PRESENTED

Some of the plays that will be included in this year´s program are the following: Memorias de Abril, Rosa, Lemba, El banquete, Cenicienta es ella, Andrea Evangelina, Sin zapatos no hay paraíso, Los signos de la carne, El jardín de los pulpos, Juego de navajas and La pasión cantada de Jacobito de Lara.

Also, Los Nadie, Los piojos, El crédito, El cepillo de dientes, Los sueños de Lorca, ¿A qué te sabe la luna?, El soplador de estrellas, Delfines, Guamín y su macuto mágico, El Monstruo, Plan de fuga, Prometeo en llamas, Circulo violeta e Irene: La reina.

Through the years, the Festival has created a solid development platform that has allowed the participation of the general public in its high-quality presentations.

For more information on the program, please visit: www.festivalnacionaldetatro.com