SUNY Cortland Professor Visits Cuba

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Samuel Kelley, top right, playwright and SUNY Cortland professor of communication studies, joined Afro-Cuban playwrights this past January in Havana, Cuba, for a cultural exchange.

CORTLAND, NY (02/21/2008)(readMedia)-- SUNY Cortland Professor Samuel Kelley, an awarded playwright, got the chance to find out what his counterparts in Cuba are doing during a cultural exchange this past January.

Kelley, a faculty member in the College’s Communication Studies Department, got the opportunity to travel to Havana, Cuba, from Jan. 20-27 through a colleague whom he had met at Blue Mountain Lake Artist Colony in Upstate New York. Enrique Sacerio-Gari, professor of Spanish at Bryn Mwar College in Pennsylvania, coordinated the trip with Kelley, who was then initially invited to attend by Carlos Padron Montoya, president of the Association of Scenic Artists in Cuba.

U.S. citizens are not permitted to travel to Cuba without a research license from the United States Treasury Department and a Visa, which Kelley acquired to make the trip.

“I developed a research proposal, the goal of which was to gain a better understanding of how recent social and cultural developments in the last decade are informing and transforming Cuban theatre,” Kelley said. “As a playwright who develops plays about social issues, I am particularly interested in the implications for African American theatre. The primary approach was to engage in interviews with Cuban playwrights and directors, observe theatre troupes and directors in action, and to take in some performances. Needless to say, my week exceeded my project plans.”

During the exchange, Kelley was hosted by Omar Valino, Cuba’s leading theatre critic. He was given the opportunity to meet and interview many Afro-Cuban playwrights and critics, including Cuban Director Gerardo Fulleda Leon.

Kelley also attended multiple performances throughout his stay, including a one-man performance by Afro-Cuban playwright Javier Casas and a show by Cuba’s most famous choir, Exaudi.

“I was pleased to be welcomed in by the artist group,” Kelley says. “I felt like I was being given the grand tour … I am certainly indebted to Enrique, Omar, and the many others who supported my efforts.”

While in Havana, he visited a housing project used as a model to improve living conditions. He saw two famous museums in Havana, the Museo de la Ciudad de La Habana and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. In Havana, he resided at Hotel Victoria.

Funds from SUNY Cortland partly supported his trip, but most of the cost was paid for from Kelley’s own pocket.

At the conclusion of the exchange, Kelley discussed with Cuban playwrights the possibilities of exchanging scripts, translating his plays into Spanish for performance in Cuba and producing a Cuban play in the United States.

Kelley characterized the culture in Cuba as “caught in a time warp, but with current events and issues occurring.”

“The embargo has ravished the country. Contrary to what we think, Cuba and the U. S. are paying a high price for the lack of cultural exchange.”

As a playwright, Kelley has received the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble Performance in 1994; the Kieffer Award for Best Production in 1993-94; and the Cornerstone Competition for Best Play in 1990, for his most popular play, “Pill Hill.”

Kelley, who joined the College in 1979, earned his bachelor’s degree in speech and drama from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and his master’s degree in speech from the University of Arkansas. He received a Ph.D in speech, with a concentration in radio, television, and film from the University of Michigan. Kelly also holds an M.F.A. in playwrighting from the Yale University School of Drama.

For more information on Kelley’s trip, contact him at (607) 753-4104 or kelleys@cortland.edu.

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