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The Cuban actress Concha Ares, a prominent figure in Cuban theater of recent decades, passed away this weekend. The news was shared on Saturday night by colleague Jorge Luis Guerrero via Facebook, and it immediately sparked a wave of condolences on social media from colleagues and friends.
"Javier Martín, the son of the beloved actress Concepción Ares Fustes (Concha), has just informed me that his mother has passed away. According to his words: 'She slowly faded away, she died peacefully.' Like in great love stories, she did not survive long after the absence of her great love, the theater director and her inseparable life partner: Elio Martín Momperliert," wrote Guerrero. Martín passed away in late 2025.
The actor Nevalis Quintana Fernández was one of the first to respond with an emotional message. “Early morning of May Stars, the night surprises me with a post [...] announcing the physical departure of actress and friend Concha Ares,” Quintana expressed, who reminisced about her time at Teatro Estudio and the Compañía Teatral Hubert de Blanck, noting that “as an actress, she had an exquisite grace and Cubanness.”
According to Quintana Fernández, Ares "began her career in Cuban television before joining her husband at Teatro Estudio," and she was one of the 12 members of the group that accompanied Sergio Corrieri to found the Teatro Escambray in 1968, an institution that would bring art to the rural communities of the Sierra del Escambray and throughout its history would premiere dozens of works, exceeding one million spectators.
Under the direction of her husband, Elio, Martín starred in "La Vitrina" —originally premiered by Teatro Escambray in the 1970s and later revived at the Sala Hubert de Blanck in the 2000s— and "El Paraíso Recobrado," two of the most memorable productions in her career.
In the Hubert de Blanck Theater Company, where he also left a deep mark, he participated in "Uncle Francisco and the Leandras," a Creole version of the Spanish zarzuela directed by Berta Martínez. Quintana Fernández fondly recalled a moment from that play during the years of the Special Period, when the character of Ares, a chorus actress scolded by the protagonist about the daily problems of the country—the supply book, blackouts, transportation—concluded the scene with a line that drew laughter and applause from the audience: "And let it be noted that I'm not going to Mexico or Venezuela."
It is tragicomic to think that the same problems continue to provide raw material for hilarious scripts on the Island.
The testimonies of colleagues and friends painted a picture of a generous and approachable woman. Actress Vivian Acosta, who worked alongside her at Teatro Escambray, bid her farewell with simple words: "Sad news. We worked together at Teatro Escambray. Good actress and person." Actress Marisela Herrera, who shared the stage with Ares at Hubert de Blanck, remembered her as "very friendly, both as an actress and as a person." And actor Francisco Fonseca from the Youth Theater "Pinos Nuevos" recalled "the sweetness, simplicity, and kindness with which she treated us young people" during visits to the Teatro Escambray, and a performance in the town of La Victoria, on Isla de Pinos, where she managed to "bring forth a laugh that lasted for minutes from the audience."
Other prominent figures in the artistic and cultural environment, such as Miriam Socarrás, Osvaldo Doimeadios, Ana Nora Calaza, and Pepe Murrieta, expressed their sorrow over the actress's passing.
The passing of Concha Ares occurs in a year that is especially painful for Cuban theater, which in 2026 has already seen the departure of actress Adela Legrá in January, actress and playwright Cristina Rebull in February, and actress Zelma Morales in April.
Nevalis Quintana Fernández closed her tribute with the same token that the theater has always reserved for its finest performers: "ETERNAL APPLAUSE."
The publications regarding the passing have not revealed the location where it occurred or the details of the funeral services. Heartfelt condolences go out to the family, colleagues, and friends.
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