An SOS of life for the Sauto.

In a hopefully short time, the mural of the muses will be restored from the top of the Yumurino coliseum. Hopefully we will not have to wait another ten years to see it in all its splendor and that, when it opens again to the public, that crack with which everything started again will be just a scratch to the physical space, salvageable, fixable, and not an everlasting expression of how much we have lost as a species, as people from Matanzas, as citizens.

With a crack everything began again: doubts, pessimism, disappointment, sadness. Ten years weigh too heavily on our most recent memory; ten years in which we felt a mixture of galloping nostalgia, hopes at times and endless uncertainties.

In 2009, the Sauto Theater closed its doors to be immersed in a capital restoration of which, at that time, neither the scope nor the time it would take for its execution were known.

See also: https://palabrassinmordaza.wordpress.com/2018/07/24/el-teatro-sauto-y-los-guardianes-de-su-historia/

After a decade of absence, of unfulfilled dates, of cultural presentations that did not happen and impoverished the spiritual life of the city, the heart of the Plaza de la Vigía began to beat again.

Concerts, exhibitions and events brought back the warmth and lights to the coliseum for almost five years, when a crack of approximately three and a half meters threatened to snatch immortality from the eight muses of Dall «Aglio.

«In June 2024 we discovered the crack after a show we had here. We immediately went to the folks at EMPAI (Architecture and Engineering Projects Company) and Heritage, to check, along with the Conservator’s Office and their specialists.

«They recommended us to ask ENIA (Empresa Nacional de Investigaciones Aplicadas) for a complete study of the structure supporting the plaster of the Sauto Theater’s ceiling.

«The ENIA report was almost two months later, based on several studies that were made, not only of the structure itself, but also of sound and temperature, elements that had a great influence on the situation of the crack», explained Kalec Acosta Hurtado, director of the Sauto theater.

«They recommended constructive actions that are important because, as a result of the passage of time, changes in humidity and the transit of equipment on the sides of the theater, structural problems have arisen that do not imply danger of collapse, but caused cracks in the painting of the muses». This was announced by Renny Pérez Masso, project manager at EMPAI.

The engineer added that «this requires meticulous work by specialized personnel to help us reinforce the structure from the central part to the sides.

«We are also advised to open all the exterior windows every day to allow air circulation and limit the humidity of the structure. Another suggestion is to try to limit the speed of the cars that pass through both Milanés and Calle del Medio».

Seven million pesos were destined this time to the restoration of the mural of the muses, where no work was done on the plaster and only the painting was touched up during the capital repair, together with other actions of constructive maintenance, carpentry repairs and details that already require an intervention inside the building.

«It was decided to set up a DIP (Integrated Work Department), with EMPAI specialists, including architects and structural electricians, to work in this sense,» Acosta Hurtado said, to which Pérez Masso added that «it is planned to repair the theater’s roofs this year.

«The slabs that are on the roofs are made of metal with expanded polymethane and as a result of time this material has separated from the slabs and there are leaks in some places.

«To address this we are going to do some repair work in many of the areas and we will be overhauling the entire roof on the outside to limit leaks. We will request money for 2026 to do a general replacement of the theater’s roof.

«We will also repair all the false ceilings and the back of the stage, which also has deterioration due to seepage. We must have the Sauto fully operational for the high season».

Although the process is somewhat delayed, since it was in June 2024 when the crack was detected, it is worth mentioning that the restoration actions in heritage buildings such as the Sauto, a National Monument and with a degree of protection1, require specific procedures prior to execution, said Acosta Hurtado.
«Today we are working hard, accompanied by the Provincial Heritage, the Office of the City Conservator, the Provincial Directorate of Culture and the Government of Matanzas, to obtain the permits to finally start the work and be able to rescue this museum space, National Monument, Protection Grade 1, because the conservation of this institution is very important».

At this moment engineers of the Company of Projects of Architecture and Engineering, under the leadership of Renny Perez Masso, finalize details to initiate the pertinent actions to return the renewed image to the roof of platea and the tranquility to the people of Matanzas. But now, another danger threatens the integrity of the building.

During the construction of the building, in the already distant 19th century, the environment of the Plaza de la Vigía was far from resembling the one that is constantly attacking this symbol of Matanzas.

In the first place, the Sauto was never subjected to the constant and violent vehicular traffic that circulates today along its sides and bottom, which is aggravated by the characteristics of the means of transport nowadays and the vibrations they cause, argues Kalec.

«We must keep in mind that in the 19th century, in 1863 when this building was founded, traffic was only horse and oxen carts. Today the problems are complicated by the seismic movements that exist around the theater, especially since the 325th anniversary of the city, in 2018, when the circulation of the building changed.

«Until that time, all the traffic used to pass mostly in front of the theater, but now it circulates around the building, with a great impact on the area of Milanés Street.

In the surrounding areas, centers have also sprung up, which do not always correspond to the denomination of cultural centers, whose proposals are vulgar and decibels that go beyond both the urban planning regulations and the objectives for which they were conceived.

Thus there has been the case of music whose volumes compete for supremacy from Entre Puentes and the parking lot of this busy site, to which are added the shouts from the ARTEX cafeteria that, far from contributing economically and visually to the heritage building where it is located (as was the purpose of its creation), as in the previous cases, affects the performance of shows in a Sauto which today also regrets problems in the air conditioning system and is unable to open its windows to facilitate the entry of air in the face of the sound violence to which it is constantly exposed. But that is not the end of the problems.

«In recent days a citizen broke the main door and entered the theater. Our custodians intercepted him and the police had already been notified, so we were able to act on that. He is an insane gentleman who has come later on other occasions.

«There was also the theft of the chains guarding the gate. There are people visiting the side cafeteria, currently run by ARTEX, who relieve themselves and sit and drink at the gate.

«The workers have called their attention to them and have received verbal aggressions. The electrical affectations have a lot to do with these violations. It would be timely to develop the relevant studies, in the midst of the complex context of energy today, to try to protect the circuit of the heritage square of our city.

«We have to take care of our heritage. I call the attention of the authorities, the Provincial Directorate of Culture, the Provincial Council of Performing Arts. It is essential the help of all the instances to eliminate these aggressions to an institution like this one», details the director of the institution.

The publication of the institution’s profile on Facebook denouncing these and other ailments has caused dissimilar comments. These are social indisciplines that destroy the beauty of our buildings, because the theater is not the only one that suffers these aggressions and violates our heritage.

See also: https://www.radio26.cu/matanzas/la-proteccion-del-patrimonio-garantia-de-la-preservacion-de-la-memoria-audios-fotos-e-infografia/

These are examples of citizen irresponsibility, first of all because, among the many who today are fighting to repair it inside and others recognize the importance of protecting and preserving it, some dare to attack its integrity.

However, I do not believe that it is only a consequence of the evident breakdown of our sense of civility, human values and respect for the environment in which we live. Carelessness, lack of control and inoperativeness, even when they are involuntary, lead to situations of this kind, aggravated by the lack of electricity that condemns to a deep darkness every inch of the place where some of the most important heritage buildings of the Athens of Cuba are located.

See also: https://www.cubahora.cu/cultura/la-ciudad-es-la-casa-grande-de-todos-fotos-y-audio

Some time ago there were custodians who guarded the Plaza de la Vigía, in addition to those who did it in each of its institutions. Why were they removed? Why were they not returned to their posts when the electro-energetic situation began to worsen? Who is responsible for hiring them and controlling that they fulfill their functions correctly?

«The theater is located in the Plaza de la Vigía, a public area that after the 325th anniversary had custodians, to which were also added those of the Sauto and those of the Curator’s Office itself. We have nothing to do with the custodians of the Plaza de la Vigía because we do not have the infrastructure for it».

The Curator of the City of Matanzas, Leonel Pérez Orozco, also commented that, as a result of the damage caused today in the heritage square of the city of Matanzas, details are being finalized between the Office he heads and the provincial government to retake the positions of custodians to ensure the care not only there, but also in the Calle del Medio, who will answer to the institution created on October 29th, 2014.

See also: https://www.cubahora.cu/cultura/oficina-del-conservador-de-matanzas-logros-o-desafios-fotos-audio

«Soon we will agree with the Government to add custodian positions in the Curator’s Office with the purpose of watching over the square, guarding the monuments and making their work our responsibility».

In the midst of so many turbulences, many of those who, like Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, recognize Matanzas for the Sauto and express their commitment to defend it as the symbol that, from this city, exalts Cuban culture, raise their voices.

«I have the feeling that we are always fighting against windmills. It is so necessary that we really achieve a total and definitive support for the Sauto Theater, which goes beyond even the construction.

«It goes with the look of how the environment is and how a work of that magnitude is respected within a city like Matanzas. It will have to be a battle of all of us to place the Sauto in that place that, also from the environment, favors the look of the Athens of Cuba.

«In no way we will allow it to be denigrated with an environment that does not correspond to it, which is far from the highest of culture. We will not allow it to be a place of banal music, of a vulgar look on culture, because it is the place to exalt,» José Manuel Espino Ortega, poet, playwright, president of the provincial committee of UNEAC.

«This has always been the place where Matanzas culture has a fundamental space. I would say that the life of Matanzas revolves around Sauto Theater and its spaces and its transcendence.

«Sauto is the departure of each one of us. If these walls could talk, it would be beautiful if they told their own story», María Victoria Oliver, musicologist, researcher and teacher.

«It is an icon of the city of Matanzas. It is an essential place, not only for its heritage value, its four facades, its architectural beauty, but also for what it has meant for the cultural, social and political life of the city and the country.

«Sauto marks us all. Everything that unites and shapes Matanzas’ identity is gathered in that space, that is why it must be understood that it is essential, Matanzas without Sauto would be very sad», Luis Octavio Hernandez, craftsman.

See also: https://www.facebook.com/teatrosauto/posts/pfbid05gAURf8t3b4nMxZAVke2TjQ3P3hDxqQxeSyfGhKas4mNceqvRmw8v9vmkQ2Q7iDdl? __cft__[0]=AZV8gRL-92Oksvyv9O52bSrWE5C-oD945O3W0_8IS7F54HhbhSjL3XjJmgAi4NS5qDj9AbHA-G5A4aEz4yoNB2z9MWB3cmHD_VpJ0YA_pNMOtBRDgA1CDnpqq8WQWo8- X9PTHY_AorAFA_20OjgomrvsLFSElFUrUQWUgtcOK6-cnWvgOwXyPkaC1fLhDa27AiY&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

«It is an institution to be defended, to be applauded and to be revered. We need the Sauto Theater», Alfredo Zaldívar Muñoa, poet, director of Ediciones Matanzas, National Publishing Award.

«The Sauto Theater is a jewel of Cuban architecture, a symbol of the city of Matanzas, a symbol of Cuban culture in general because it has served as a space, from the 19th century to the present day, for exchange among artists of all manifestations and even between countries. Here have been essential figures of the history of Cuban and international culture.

«To let it be destroyed by acts of vandalism that seem, at some point, insignificant, is to contribute to the deterioration of our own identity and the essence of our nation. These are actions that have to do with insensitivity, carelessness, ignorance and the inability to protect our cultural assets», Ulises Rodríguez Febles, playwright, storyteller, critic, cultural promoter and director of the Casa de la Memoria Escénica.

I think it is the mother of Matanzas culture. We have to make an effort among all of us. We depend on him being alive to feel that we are still stepping on the Athens of Cuba.

«We have to make an effort among all of us. It is sad to have to claim, but the theater deserves everything. Sauto is Matanzas», Miriam Muñoz Benítez, actress, teacher, director of Icarón Theater, National Theater Award.

«When I pass by the Sauto and see it closed, again, after all the time it was without offering functions due to repairs, I always think of what Pinar del Río would be without its Milanés theater, cared for, repaired; the Terry is Cienfuegos, or La Caridad in Santa Clara, or the Principal in Camagüey.

«They are monuments that have withstood time and around them there are important things, but nothing is more important than the monument itself, as is the case with Sauto.

«Matanzas is recognized by Sauto. The closed Sauto is a cultural defeat, it is a patrimonial defeat. If it has problems, it has to be fixed. If what surrounds it hurts it, it must be taken care of.

«The Sauto has survived many generations and it will survive us. Alert! An SOS of maintenance, an SOS of care and respect, an SOS of life for the Sauto theater», Rubén Darío Salazar Taquechel, actor, researcher, critic, playwright, director of Teatro de Las Estaciones, National Theater Award.

In a hopefully short time, the mural of the muses will be restored from the top of the Yumurino coliseum. Hopefully, we will not have to wait another ten years to see it in all its splendor and that, when it opens again to the public, that crack with which everything started again will be just a scratch to the physical space, salvageable, fixable, and not an everlasting expression of how much we have lost as a species, as people from Matanzas, as citizens.

Hopefully, after such convulsive days, Sauto Theater will continue to be the beautiful architectural and patrimonial expression by which many will continue to recognize the beauty, elegance and culture of this, our Matanzas.

Photos: Felix Gonzalez

Written by Jessica Mesa.