Tribute to Jorge Ovies on Cuban Exile Playwriting and Theater Day.
May 30th marks Cuban Exile Playwriting and Theater Day, a day that celebrates the memory, identity, and creativity of Cuban artists who, from exile, have kept the flame of theater alive as an expression of cultural resistance. This day, created in 2013 by the ARTEFACTUS Cultural Project and the OLLANTAY Center for the Arts, recognizes the legacy of playwrights, actors, directors, and technicians who have given voice to a theatrical narrative deeply rooted in Cuban cultural history.

On this occasion, ARTEFACTUS and Havanafama pay tribute to Jorge Ovies, a fundamental figure in Cuban exile theater. Trained at the prestigious Teatro Estudio in Havana, where he began his career in 1960, he went from student to professional actor before emigrating to the United States in 1970. Although he believed his theatrical career had come to an end, fate offered him a new opportunity in New York, where he found a renewed artistic sense alongside Francisco Morín and other prominent creators.

Ovies moved to Miami in 1978, where he consolidated his legacy in historic venues such as Bellas Artes, Teatro Blanquita Amaro, Teatro Martí, and Café Teatro, among many others. His connection with Artefactus is reflected in productions such as “El solar de la palangana,” “UMAP,” and “Mañana es una palabra,” directed by Eddy Díaz-Souza. He currently leads the cast of Havanafama under the direction of Juan Roca, participating in plays such as “Se van las Capote,” “Madrina,” “Bernarda,” and “El viaje de la esperanza,” for which he recently received the TALIA Award for lifetime achievement in New York.

We invite you to celebrate this evening of theater and memory, a tribute to Jorge Ovies and all the artists who, from exile, have forged a unique and necessary cultural identity.