Villanueva de la Crítica Awards: Honoring Theater in Cuba

Uneac Presents Villanueva de la Crítica Awards for 2025
The Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (Uneac) honored today, with the presentation of the 2025 Villanueva de la Crítica Awards, those works representing the most relevant aspects of Cuban and international stage creation.

After evaluating the submitted proposals, the Criticism and Research Section of the Uneac's Association of Performing Artists decided to award the national productions Faro, by Teatro Andante from Granma province; Un rastro en las estrellas, by Teatro de Las Estaciones from Matanzas; and El nombre de Juana, from Havana.

Also honored were Actea–Ópera, by the Lyceum Mozartiano of Havana, and Eclipse, by Danza Espiral from Matanzas.

International Productions Recognized
Meanwhile, Core Meu, by Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and Gaia 2.0, by the Bakhus company from France, received the international awards.

The production Un domingo llamado deseo, by the theater groups El Público and Trotamundo, earned special recognition, along with words of praise from playwright and director Norge Espinosa for the on-stage mastery of its leads, Verónica Lynn and Carlos Pérez Peña.

Reflections on Theater's Power
The director of Teatro Andante, Juan González Fiffe, thanked the award on behalf of everyone and considered that receiving it alongside the most excellent vanguard of Cuban theater holds exceptional value.

He further highlighted the fortune of being able to practice this profession amidst such complex situations and noted that each era determines what its theater should be, while each work must be judged by its own philosophy.

He defined the leading art form as a rare energy, "that sustains the power of being the voice that transcends the muzzles of norms and customs."

It is that energy which makes possible the magic of an expression as exquisite as it is emotive; an art born to be shared, enduring, and felt.