Related videos:
The theater mourns the passing of the Cuban playwright, educator, and screenwriter Salvador Lemis Pérez Franco, who died in Mexico. His departure was confirmed on Facebook by the Faculty of Theater at the Universidad Veracruzana (UV), where he served for years as a professor, director, and mentor to multiple generations.
The institution highlighted his talent, dedication to teaching, and profound affection for his students, qualities that made him an indispensable presence both in academia and in the creative processes he supported from the stage. His passing, noted the UV, leaves an "irreparable void."
A creator who paved the way in Cuba and Mexico
Born in Holguín in 1963, Salvador Lemis was part of the renowned Cuban theatrical generation of the 1980s. He first gained recognition at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), where he began to develop a body of work characterized by poetic sensitivity, innovative use of fable, and a unique perspective on theater for children and youth, as noted by Diario de Cuba.
His piece Galápago, published by the magazine Tablas, is now considered a reference within the genre for its ability to expand theatrical languages and propose new ways of envisioning theater for children.
After settling in Mexico, his career gained depth and visibility. Lemis held positions of great responsibility, including:
Director of the Theatre Faculty at the Universidad Veracruzana (1996-2001)
Director of the Theater Area of Fine Arts in Yucatán (2006-2008)
Director of the Yucatán Center for Scenic Research (2008-2012)
Professor at the Higher School of Arts of Yucatán (now UNAY) from 2008 to 2011
From these institutions, he left an indelible mark on the training of actors, playwrights, and directors.
A work between fable and lyricism
Lemis's literary output, characterized by lyrical quality and overflowing imagination, was expressed in works such as A Little Sunflower, A Little Tree Grew in My Ear, The Zebra, The Plum, and various theatrical adaptations of authors like Marguerite Yourcenar.
Part of his work was included in anthologies of contemporary Cuban drama abroad, which helped to expand his international presence.
Tributes from the stage
Among the many voices mourning his death, playwright and critic Norge Espinosa Mendoza wrote that Lemis "knew how to create his own myth." He described him as a creator "full of vitality and always surprising," a resident of that territory where imagination and memory intertwine to challenge the conventions of the stage.
Although he resided for decades in Mexico, Lemis maintained a close emotional and symbolic connection to Cuban theater, where his name continues to be associated with a period of intense aesthetic renewal.
A legacy that endures
The Universidad Veracruzana extended its condolences to family, colleagues, and friends. The theatrical community bids farewell to him as a master, an innovator, and a poet of the theater.
For many, Salvador Lemis will continue to inhabit— as Espinosa points out— that suspended space “in the clouds, in the very air, free as he was.”
Filed under: