CubaPLUS Magazine

Cuba celebrates every January 22, since 1980, Cuban Theatre Day, as a tribute to the 1869 events in Havana's Villanueva Theater.

The artistic precinct became a space for denouncing the evil inherent to the colonial condition that marked Cuba at that time, through the presentation of plays with a political undertone that, over time, took on patriotic overtones.

On that day, during the performance of the play “Perro huevero, aunque le quemen el hocico”, by the Bufos Habaneros company, after a shout of Viva Cuba libre, the angry Spanish volunteer corps beat defenseless people who were in this theater.

The usual assistants and many patriots suffered a strong onslaught of the armed detachment, beating those present, just for the shout of Viva Cuba libre! that came from inside the enclosure and aroused the anger of the Spanish Volunteers Corps.

Today, to pay tribute to these events, the Villanueva Days are held in Cuba, where the following awards are presented: Villanueva Awards for Theater Critics, Villanueva Award for Best Theater for Children, Villanueva Award for Best Theater for Adults and Villanueva Award for Best Foreign Show.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)