The 62 years of a Papalote in full flight (+audio and video)

On June 21st, 1962 the Guiñol Matancero was born, a group rich in history, admired for its approach to the most intrinsic part of the Cuban identity, revered for its artistic excellence within the puppet theater in the country and currently formed by a young team of actors directed by the Emeritus Artist and National Theater Award René Fernández Santana.

Making a child happy almost always costs very little. Many believe that the welfare of the little ones is only in material gifts and treats, in walks and parties; and yes, it is important to satisfy such needs, but if we do not nurture their cognitive and emotional development any effort will be in vain.

Making them grow spiritually, teaching them new things every day from experiences, games, life situations that correspond to their age and from art, will favor their social development during childhood and adulthood. The theater is an effective way to sow learning in children.

One of the groups that in Matanzas dedicates most of its shows to this purpose today reaches its 62nd anniversary.

The decade of the 1960s marked a turning point in Cuban theater. From the city of Matanzas began then an everlasting tradition, necessary and of great successes within the culture, for the investigation of the cultural processes and as a guiding institution for the artistic education.

See also: https://www.radio26.cu/noticias-de-matanzas/cultura/teatro-papalote-la-calle-de-los-titeres-y-sus-proyectos-para-el-2023/

On June 21, 1962 the Guiñol Matancero was born, a group rich for its history, admired for its approach to the most intrinsic of the Cuban identity, revered for its artistic excellence within the puppet theater in the country and currently formed by a young team of actors directed by the Emeritus Artist and National Theater Award René Fernández Santana.

See also: https://www.cubahora.cu/cultura/matanzas-es-el-alimento-a-mis-emociones

Since its foundation, Teatro Papalote has established itself as a leading school for artistic education, a center for the research of creative processes and a referent of national culture, with a socializing character of the Cuban social, cultural and political reality.

The group directed by the Maestro de Juventudes has in its repertoire more than a hundred productions that address contemporary issues and classics of children’s literature as well as traditional popular culture, especially those of Afro-Cuban roots or as a result of inquiries into the conflicts of the child, lines that govern their artistic work.

Its systematic work in artistic promotion by offering a high quality stage program for the family, marked by its faithful attachment to the best of the national culture, and the promotion of creativity and appreciation skills, distinguish the work of the group.

Based in the heart of La Marina neighborhood, the former Guiñol matancero is characterized by the defense of the puppetry tradition and, during its more than six decades of existence, has deserved a prominent place in the universe of puppets in Cuba.

The contributions made in that field, the crystallization of a peculiar language and a continuous creative work, translated into aesthetic and technical findings that strengthen the value of its productions, have been the main achievements that support the transcendence of the group in the national and foreign field, endorsed by awards and decorations.

…ONLINE VIDEO.

Since the birth of Papalote, its creator has generated events, exhibitions, contests and publications, has promoted the puppetry art, formed a knowledgeable public and a culture about puppets.

See also: https://www.radio26.cu/noticias-de-matanzas/cultura/llegara-hoy-a-matanzas-la-alegria-de-los-narices-rojas/

Papalote has traveled with its art to Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, France, Russia, Yugoslavia and Colombia, while works or techniques of its director have been published in Spain, France and Sweden, among other countries.

See also: https://www.granma.cu/granmad/2009/10/20/cultura/artic10.html

El Guiñol matancero, today Teatro Papalote, has dedicated most of its repertoire to children and young audiences on the basis of the puppet show, in a career backed by considerable distinctions and awards.

…ONLINE AUDIO

Written by Jessica Mesa Duarte.