Dominican writer and theatre figure Danilo Ginebra has announced the creation of the Teatro Gratey Foundation in Santo Domingo to support emerging stage creators across the country.
The new institution will fund the annual production of a play created by a performing arts graduate, aimed at stimulating theatrical work and fostering new artistic talent in the Dominican Republic.
The initiative was presented at the Casa de Teatro cultural space during the official launch of La escena alterada: Historia del Teatro Gratey, a book documenting the group's trajectory. The work features a prologue by Dominican scholar Dr. Rafael Morla and records the contributions of actors, directors, technicians, set designers, musicians and collaborators across multiple generations.
Preserving four decades of Dominican theatre
Ginebra explained that the foundation intends to project the four decades of experience accumulated by Teatro Gratey into concrete opportunities for upcoming generations. He questioned what conditions were being established to enable young artists to produce more and better work in the region.
To strengthen the local cultural environment, Ginebra called for greater coordination between government bodies, working artists, cultural institutions, universities, private sector businesses and the Dominican diaspora.
Teatro Gratey built a long reputation in Dominican drama through social and historical productions. During the gathering, Ginebra recalled iconic stagings by the troupe, including 1946, mi primera manifestación, Alma Criolla, and La Chunga, a dramatic work written by Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.
As part of the presentation, actor Teófilo Terrero performed a scene from 1946, mi primera manifestación. Terrero reprised his role as Mauricio Báez, the historic Dominican labor leader he first portrayed nearly 50 years ago.
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A lasting venue and future support
Cultural manager Freddy Ginebra, who founded Casa de Teatro in 1974 in Santo Domingo's historic Colonial Zone, welcomed Danilo Ginebra and former troupe members back to the venue that served as Teatro Gratey's primary stage for decades.
Speaking at the event, Danilo Ginebra emphasized that memory must cease to be a simple exercise in recollection and instead become an active force in the present. He stated that the foundation gives that historical legacy a practical purpose by helping one new stage creator each year bring an original work to production.
The historical book La escena alterada: Historia del Teatro Gratey has now been published and is available to the public.
