René Ariza | |
---|---|
Born | 1940 |
Died | 1994 (aged 53–54) |
Nationality | Cuban |
Occupation(s) | Actor, playwright, theater director |
René Ariza (1940–1994) was a Cuban actor, director, and writer born in Havana, Cuba.
Ariza graduated from the Academia Municipal de Artes Dramáticas in 1959, eventually receiving the Premio de la Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) in 1967 for his play La vuelta a la manzana. [1]
An opponent of the Castro regime, he was jailed in 1974 for his political views until Amnesty International intervened and he was released in 1979. [1] Ariza left Cuba during the Mariel boatlift and settled in Miami, where he continued to develop professionally.
His theatrical work carries a marked political valence and has been produced primarily in the United States (and had been even prior to his departure from Cuba).[ citation needed]
Some of his most well-known plays include Los tres cerditos y el lobo carnicero, the aforementioned La vuelta a la manzana, and El banquete. His unpublished work was destroyed during his time in prison, but he continued his creative pursuits until his death in California in 1994. [1]