Photos: Courtesy of Gaia Teatro
Learning about Esther’s story is energizing. And I am not being adulatory, you can be sure. This loyal native of Sancti Spíritus province is proof that perseverance makes dreams come true. And that is not cheap romanticism, because of course a number of elements need to be in place for a project like the one she created to be possible. However, both the Gaia Teatro company of Havana and Casa Gaia have been able align their stars.
“It was 1999, and I was desperately looking for a venue for the group that Carlos Celdrá and I had just formed: Argos Teatro. With that in mind, my hunt turned into a swap that was crazy/long/immense/enormous/delayed but also happy. When I saw what is now the Casa Gaisa, at 157 Teniente Rey street, one block from the Plaza Vieja, I immediately fell in love, even though it was in ruins. However, at the time, Carlos was offered another place for the group, and because it would take a while to restore the place I had found, he took advantage of the opportunity,” recalls Esther Cardoso, director and owner of the Casa.
Because she is so unstoppable, she began thinking of ways to use the space for art. “I went through a lot of difficulties, and tried to make my group work, but during that period I was not permitted to do so, and without being daunted, I began to organize concerts, exhibitions, the Teatro Espontáneo’s “Happy are the Normal” group, which has been going for 10 straight years, and other improvisation-related activities. It was very funny, because I was only allowed to work with amateurs, and that created tremendous confusion: I was a professional for the community people, and a community person for the professionals; private and business-like for the artists and too artistic for the business people.” She smiles. “When in reality I’m just a person in love with acting, research and creative processes, who more than anything wants young people to take over the place and to always play at theater,” Esther says.
In Greek mythology, Gaia separates from the eternal embrace of Uranus in search of light. She becomes Mother Earth and he becomes the Sun, but they never unite again. This tragic but beautiful love story inspired Esther and the name for her project, which was completed in 2009 when her group was finally given official approval. Gaia Teatro de la Habana (its full name) represents, like the Greek legend, “femininity, painful partings, the constant search for one’s other half. In Gaia, people feel very comfortable, and hope to find the opportunity for something that is out of the ordinary, reflective, and mysterious. From the moment they come in, they are received by a fiesta of colors; reds, yellows and greens, which are so closely associated with the legend, are actually blood, light and life. We are there, like a little spot in Habana Vieja, incorporating ourselves into the work of the Historian’s Office. For all of these years, I have combined business with pro bono, which has enabled me to carry out non-profit cultural work. My mother and I make a living from renting out rooms, and we devote our income to financing Gaia. I don’t know how to become selfish, so I keep sharing what I have. Nothing compares with spiritual gain.”
In the last few years, the group has staged major productions, such as Cooking with Elvis, the British comedy by Lee Hall; Carole Fréchette’s Elisa’s Skin, in an adaptation by Eduardo Eimil and Esther Cardoso; Sanchis Sinisterra’s Arrows from the Angel of Oblivion; Ceremonial, a Lucio Cole adaptation of Fernando Arrabal’s play; and [Ramon Maria Del] Valle-Inclán’s Stories of Women and Divine Words.
With Gaia, the most unexpected things can happen; it is a place for experimentation. Its assiduous public knows that, which is why it keeps coming back. According to Esther, in Madruga spectators rent a little bus to attend Gaia’s shows. “They have become theater experts, and people even watch the plays from their balconies. It is our desire to increasingly be part of the community. Right now, we have mask workshops, regular exhibits, and courses on sound and photography. We created a time for jazz, where on the first Saturday of each month, Orlando Sánchez and Danae Blanco, leading the Cuba Jazz group, host an intimate jam night. People who have played with them include Interactivo, William Vivanco, Elmer Ferrer, Yassek Manzano, the U.S. guitarist Gary Lucas and others. With children in mind, we created the weekly Laboratorio Teatral Amigos de Gaia (“Friends of Gaia Theater Laboratory”), where kids can interact with the world of theater through dramatic readings, games, and workshops in makeup and set design. They have grown with us, and Gaia is their favorite place.”
Esther is an enthusiast of mask theater. She admits that the show of her dreams would be a tribute to Buendía, a search for roots, a “play based on the actors’ bodies.”
This writer has known Esther for years, and I know that she will always be full of surprises. She is now working on her next play, Dios was not Antonioni, which premieres on Nov. 30 as part of Italian Culture Week in Cuba. In it, they will make Antonioni into God. But she didn’t say how. And coming from Casa Gaia, I can’t even imagine how, because it is a territory free of conventionalisms.
