Florida Grand Opera Presents REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF REINALDO ARENAS

On February 5, 2017, Florida Grand Opera (FGO), in partnership with the Florida International University Cuban Research Institute (FIU CRI) presents "Community Conversations: Reflections on the Life of Reinaldo Arenas." The Community Conversations series links opera, literature, film and politics, providing audiences with valuable context about the operas presented by FGO. The public is invited to join a discussion of Jorge Martín's powerful opera Before Night Falls, based on Arenas's searing memoir of his childhood poverty in Cuba, his persecution as a gay dissident writer, his emigration to the U.S. in the 1980 Mariel Boatlife, and his years in New York City, where he committed suicide in 1990.

Community Conversations is a series of hour-long events that stimulate provocative discussions about life and art in South Florida. It is sponsored, in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

February 5, 2017 at 3pm
Reflections on the Life of Reinaldo Arenas
Coral Gables Congregational Church (Main Sanctuary)
3010 de Soto Boulevard
Coral Gables, FL 33134

Dr. Jorge Duany, Director, FIU Cuban Research Institute, discusses the award-winning 1984 documentary about Cuban refugees, Conducta Impropria, as well as the political and social milieu in which Arenas found himself as Cuba turned toward revolution.

Dr. Uva de Aragon, author, discusses Reinaldo's body of work and her personal friendship with the author.

Rich Denis, Heritage Project Director, Coming Out Cuba Foundation, describes the gay culture of Pre-Revolutionary Cuba and Arenas as an advocate of LGBT rights. Denis will also discuss Arenas's battle with AIDS that led to the author's suicide.

February 15, 2017 at 7:30pm
Preview of Before Night Falls
ArtServe Gallery
1350 E Sunrise Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Florida Grand Opera's Young Artists perform scenes from Before Night Falls. Along with Robert Lopardo, co-chair, Human Rights Campaign South Florida, will lead a discussion of the history of the human rights movement in Cuba and Florida.

February 22, 2017 at 7:30pm
Spoken and Sung
Miami Beach Urban Studios
420 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139

February 28, 2017 at 7:30pm
Spoken and Sung
Josephine S. Leiser Opera Center
221 SW Third Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Reinaldo Arenas's memoir has been made into a successful 2000 film directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp. Actors from What if Works! And members of Florida Grand Opera's Young Artist Program present a program of scenes that vividly illustrate the correlation among book, film, and opera.

February 25, 2017 at 3pm
Meet the Composer: Jorge Martín
Books and Books (Coral Gables)
265 Aragon Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134

Jorge Marín has strong ties to South Florida. FGO's Young Artists will perform scenes from Before Night Falls and allow the community to get an in-depth preview of this remarkable work.

All events in this series are free, but RSVPs will be requested. RSVPs may be submitted on the Florida Grand Opera website, or through specific Eventbrite pages. Please visit http://www.fgo.org for more information.

To post a comment, you must register and login.