ABSTRACT
Carlos Diaz, acclaimed Cuban director, recipient of the 2015 National Theater Award in Cuba, and founder of the theatrical company Teatro El Publico, is known for his irreverent, unconventional, and sometimes shocking theatrical productions. His plays often comment on Cuba and make specific references to Cuba, even though many of them are not written by Cuban playwrights. Diaz is known for being unconventional and provocative. The images that Diaz uses, whether through costumes or nudity, help to reveal the truth about “New Theater” and Cuban theater. Rivlin Elizabeth’s focus on scandal, excess, and disguise is echoed by Cuban audiences and embraced by Diaz himself. The letters in the program and lobby, of course, present one dialogue, but Diaz’s play is also involved in an ongoing debate with William Shakespeare because it incorporates many of the same ideas, and laughs at the same human foibles, as Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
