El Ciervo Encantado theater group rejects Cuban state censorship

The Cuban theater and performance group El Ciervo Encantado has announced it will cease working under state evaluation and approval mechanisms. In a statement released on February 3, the collective rejected the rules and regulations imposed by official cultural institutions, citing a desire to preserve creative freedom and autonomy.

As part of this decision, the group is vacating its headquarters at Línea and 18 in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana. Founded approximately 30 years ago, the troupe has become a significant reference point for experimental theater and performance art in Cuba, often utilizing social critique and popular symbols in its work.

Founder and playwright Nelda Castillo expressed that the group will no longer submit its work to the commissions that demand advance reviews and subsequent approvals. Despite losing its physical base, the group intends to continue its artistic activities in independent spaces to maintain its dialogue with Cuban identity and national reality.