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LHAT’S 2003 CULTURAL EXCHANGE EXCURSION

CUBA'S PEOPLE & CULTURE: A STUDY PROGRAM TO EXAMINE THE DEVELOPMENT & RESTORATION OF HAVANA'S PUBLIC THEATRES

From July 27-31, 2003, following the Miami conference, LHAT sponsored a five-day cultural exchange excursion guided by WorldGuest, a travel service provider licensed by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The 59-person group that traveled to Havana included members of LHAT’s board and staff and representatives from League members - staff, board and patrons of member theatres and service providers - as well as members of the League of Theatre Producers and the Theatre Historical Society.

The fully escorted program included seminars by leading Cuban experts on the development of modern Havana, urban planning and restoration of Havana's cultural heritage and visits to restoration projects and the historic theatres of the Republic and post-Revolutionary periods in Havana.

READ A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT
AND VIEW PHOTOS OF THE TOUR

Highlights of the Tour included:

• A Site visit to the Art Deco district of Boyeros, south of Havana developed in the 1930s by the dictator General Geraldo Machado to link Havana city with the agricultural lands to the south. The theater is a fanciful example of Deco architecture in the process of renovation.



• A walking tour of the historic district around Parque Central includeing the Paseo del Prado, the Hotel Inglaterra, Le Gran Teatro de la Habana and the Capitol Building.



• Dinner at Plaza of the Cathedral at a former colonial mansion, the restaurant El Patio.



• A seminar at the Model of the City of Havana by the noted architect and urban planner Miguel Coyula on the development of colonial and modern Havana and the issues of the current restoration and urban planning.



• A walking tour of Old Havana accompanied by Victor Marin, an expert on the current restoration projects in Old Havana, including current restoration projects, the four major plazas and the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales.



• A visit to the Gran Teatro de la Habana in Old Havana.



• A seminar with slides at the hotel on the history and development of modern Havana (1902-1959) by Eduardo Luis Rodriguez.



• A visit to selected theaters in Vedado, including the Deco example of America.



• A Visit to the offices of UNAICC the Cuban National Union of Architects and Construction Engineers to discuss the current conditions and restoration efforts to restore the city of Havana.



• Dinner in Cubanacán (the former Country Club) district of Havana.



• A seminar with slides at the hotel on the development of Post-Revolutionary Havana (1960-Present) by the architect and preservation expert Isabel Rigol.



• A guided tour of the Institute of Superior Arts by Roberto Gotardi, architect of the school of theater, 1962.



• A visit to theaters built after the Revolution of 1959, Miramar, the Karl Marx Theater.

The Study Program was operated by WorldGuest to promote cultural exchange in Cuba under the authority of a Specific License issued by the U. S. Dept of Treasury. Their study programs are designed to focus on Cuba's people & culture, provide an exchange between the members of our delegation and the Cuban people, examine the current social and economic conditions to better understand the issues that will determine the course of Cuba's future.