On other occasions I have discussed that the advantage of being old is the experiences we have and the memories and the stories we keep. I have mine and what better way that to share them with you.
The thirty-sixth anniversary of the well-known Hermanos Saiz Association (AHS, by its acronym in Spanish), founded on October 18th, 1984, to which so many achievements and successes are owed by those creators who united for the same purpose: to make art; they carry the most indigenous of our culture throughout the country and even abroad.
The most palpable sign that for youth there is nothing impossible and that they can and will always be counted on, it is their disposition and altruism, characteristics that make them even more valuable.
“Youth, divine treasure”, someone once said, but what would become of that youth if it did not have the experience, the memories and the anecdotes of those of us combing gray hair and sharing it with them? I think they would be good too, but they could lack, perhaps, a bit of emotion from previous moments that only the “older ones” could provide.
That is why today I will refer to the Hermanos Saiz Team, the organization that, back in the 70s and a little more, also brought together young creators and that was indisputably the forerunner of today’s AHS.
To tell…
It was the year 1976 and the movement of amateur artists in this province was very powerful, lavish and strong, with great quality in all artistic manifestations. There, in the premises of Cisneros street between Hermanos Agüero and General Gómez, where the Grupo de Teatro de Luz is currently located and the official headquarters of La Edad de Oro, directed at the time by the unforgettable Bistermundo Guimaraes, he rehearsed daily in the afternoon and until almost dusk with the Theater Group “Como lo soñó Martí”, directed by the then economics student Luciano Castillo, turned film critic and Cuban intellectual of great relevance. It was also made up of students belonging to secondary education in general.
Among those important plays directed by him, we can mention: “Those who are left on the road”, “The song of the bamboo”, “Peter Pan and Wendy”, “The interludes of Cervantes”, “Abdala”, “The prodigious shoemaker” and many others. We toured municipalities, schools, even with small productions for the parents of children with behavior problems that illustrated correct and incorrect ways of conduct themselves, plays that were infinitely appreciated.
Grassroots, municipal, provincial and national festivals, in which the prizes were a given in almost every opportunity. Performances in the theaters of the territory were common, as well as requests from countless workplaces for us to perform on different dates, moments in which the group was always ready to collaborate and wore their best clothes.
By chance of life that group that brought so many awards to our province disbanded, but we never stop feeling that sense of belonging for it, from its director and friend, with whom I had always share a deep friendship, even with a large number of colleagues who currently carry out various professional carriers in society: artists, teachers, doctors, engineers, architects, technicians, workers, self-employed, in short, a wide range of trades and professions; But we have never been able to forget that beautiful time of youth, in which like those of today, we offer our art to the community.
When I look back and remember, I cannot help but feel an immense satisfaction knowing that one day I was also part of that theater group, which preceded the AHS, an organization that I admire, respect and for which I predict greater future success. So, my congratulations, to them, the young creators who over the years will be able to tell, as I have done, some passage and a bit of the culture that makes up this, our legendary city.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
