Santiago de Cuba recently hosted the fifteenth edition of the Félix Benjamín Caignet National Contest sponsored by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, UNEAC. Among the radio programs that participated in the event, Polichinela, from Grito de Baire radio station in Contramaestre, stood out.
On this occasion, the children’s program won several awards. Highlights: Best script and a mention for Best Male Performance. Both were awarded to the writer Carlos Miguel Pérez, who in addition to being the main actor was the scriptwriter of the program. With these motivations we went to the dialogue with the director to know what Polichinela means to Carlos.
I was motivated by the desire to experiment, to go to an unknown window for me, in that aspect and to do new things.
Polichinela is a program that is aimed at children, but it deals with a variety of topics and sometimes it is a bit difficult to write to get closer to that audience. How do you achieve that?
In the program we have historically made versions, adaptations of plays, which is the main objective of Polichinela, to bring theater through the radio. This has been for boys and girls. We have brought stories by Cuban writers, such as Onelio Jorge Cardoso, Dora Alonso. Also of other nationalities. In addition to our original scripts, but new times and new themes are also imposed, where the child is the protagonist along with his family of all social problems.
“Canta bien alto”, a script that competed in the recent edition of the Félix Benjamín Caignet National Festival, deals with the theme of emigration; it is about that and the opportunity for our children to continue participating in the collective construction of the country. Polichinela always proposed a language that was the image of the child. They cannot speak as if they were adults. That is why it is important to observe them every day, to share with them. Sometimes they are playing in the street and I am there listening to their witticisms. Because I’m stealing that way of saying that they have and so I try to work the language to achieve the atmosphere of the program. Besides that there is poetry and humor. Maybe that is the reason why adults also listen to us.
You have imbued Polichinela with your stamp as a writer but also as an actor by playing several characters in the same play. How do you achieve that?
I am extremely grateful to the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA). It gave me all the weapons as an actor, that inspiration, that desire to do beautiful things.
It is difficult to think of Polichinela without Carlos Miguel Pérez. But in certain circumstances this can happen. Do you have someone to replace you as writer and actor in the production of the program?
On several occasions our actors here have already taken on that task. However, I have never thought about it, but I am sure of one thing and that is that Polichinela has his replacement for sure.
Carlos Miguel Perez, gave birth to Polichinela as a writer and actor. Over the years he has incorporated the best of his acting and that peculiar way of writing for children; very Cuban and with the healthy humor that characterizes us.
He may necessarily have substitutes, but as long as he is in the Polichinela’s production collective, the awards, recognitions and applause will continue, because when we talk about quality, we must take off our hats in front of the great artist that he is.
