On a four-day trip to Havana this past October, nine of my ASTC colleagues and I (as well as a half dozen enthusiastic spouses), had the good fortune to observe a rehearsal of the Havana based Malpaso Dance Company. As venue designers, we constantly strive to find ways to make the venues that we design and renovate better for the artists, technicians, administrators, and audiences that use them. However, it is always truly rewarding to be reminded of what is important in our work and why it is so critical.

Upon spending a few days in Havana, we quickly learned about the number of venues, and buildings in general, throughout the city that are overdue for maintenance and repair. Building collapses are a regular occurrence in the city and tallied by the government.

Interior of former Sephardic synagogue, now used as a performance space by the Malpaso Dance Company, photo by Peter Rosenbaum, ASTC.

My ASTC colleagues and I entered the former Sephardic synagogue late one mid-week morning where Malpaso rehearses, unsure of what we would encounter. While the Jewish community maintains a small series of spaces in the post-revolution former synagogue building, the main sanctuary has become a rehearsal space, assembly space, and community center for the city. Stripped of most ornamentation, save some geometric forms contained within a few of the stained-glass windows, the sanctuary was a beige monochromatic room with a high ceiling and years of urban dust collecting on the textured walls in the expected places near the ventilation grills and in the corners. A half dozen oscillating fans had long ago been fastened to the side walls just above head height and were well clogged with dust, though still in service. Simple downlight cans recessed into the ceiling retrofitted with LED lamps provided the lighting, supplementing abundant natural light from the outside. (We learned that the Cuban government has made a substantial push to transition the country to LED lighting as an energy saving measure and has largely succeeded.) Extending out from the back wall behind where the bema was once located for religious services, there was a single level platform covered in a black dance floor vinyl. As a venue, the converted synagogue would likely be problematic without enough overhead locations to deploy production lighting, audio reinforcement and scenic effects. Costume and scenic support facilities backstage were lacking, the restrooms would probably be undersized for a full-sized intermission audience, and wheelchair accessibility was lacking.

The dancers were in mostly dark rehearsal clothing, warming up, stretching, and preparing themselves. Muscular quadriceps were being flexed, powerful toes were being stretched by strong fingers or against the stage floor, torsos and arms twisted as other muscles were made to warm up in preparation. There were two dozen loose chairs set up about four feet from the stage in two rows of twelve. As my colleagues and I took our seats, our excellent tour guide, Joe Rosenberg, introduced us to the one of the founding dancers in the company who spoke to us only briefly and said that she hoped we enjoyed the piece we were about to see. When the rehearsal began, eight dancers aligned at the upstage wall and began to walk slowly and deliberately towards us as the slow and pulsing abstract music began. All of the dancers had their eyes fixed towards the audience. The die had been cast and we were under siege from their collective stare and movement. What followed was truly beautiful – an emotional dance performance that became the highlight of our trip to Havana.

After the performance, we had the chance to speak with the company members and learn more about them and their experiences working in Cuba, as well as travelling in the United States and other countries. We learned of the unnecessary hassle that Cubans must endure to obtain travel visas to visit the U.S., including flying the entire dance company to another country to apply for their U.S. visas at a U.S. Embassy that can issue visas (because the U.S. Embassy in Havana does not currently issue visas).

The point was made clear. Amazing artists who inspire us do not require much more than space to create beautiful and provoking art and share it with an audience. What we do as theatre consultants must not lose sight of this and must remind others of this fact. Ideally, the space would, at the very least, not hinder the artists and instead allow them to flourish. Our work should serve to support those artists and enable them to do the excellent things that they are already doing, and only enhance the experience for everyone involved. This is why we design venues.

I hope that if and when Malpaso chooses to design or renovate a space for themselves, that they are able to collaborate with an architect and theatre consultant who will work closely with them to understand their history, their body of work, and what they truly need to rehearse and perform at their best. They do not require an expensive and luxurious monument in which to rehearse and perform, but they do require a space that functions for them, born from an understanding of their process and how they choose to present themselves within their culture. A space for Malpaso does not need to be new, rather it could be an opportunity to renovate a viable structure in their native Havana. The design and construction of such a space would require close collaboration between Malpaso, their architect, and their theatre consultant to express in theatre architecture what is necessary to Malpaso’ s work and maintain the focus of all who encounter the space, on Malpaso and their commitment to their craft.

By Michael Parrella, ASTC

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the American Society of Theatre Consultants, nor the author’s employer. This article is for general information only and should not be substituted for specific advice from a Theatre Consultant, Code Consultant, or Design Professional, and may not be suitable for all situations nor in all locations.