Light Up the Sky
Directing team: +
| Name | Function(s) |
|---|---|
| Fred Koch | Director |
Design team: +
| Name | Function(s) |
|---|---|
| Gordon Bennett | Light designer, Set designer |
| Jay Franklin | Set designer |
| Frank Galunas | Set designer, Makeup designer |
| Sue Hastings | Props designer |
| Arnold Heller | Set designer |
| Doris Lewins | Costume designer |
| Elison Miller | Light designer |
| Gertrude X. Mooney | Choreographer |
Production team: +
| Name | Function(s) |
|---|---|
| Patronato del Teatro | Producer |
Advisory team: +
| Name | Function(s) |
|---|---|
| Luis Rodríguez Molina | General Advisor |
Bibliography: +
Secondary: +
Notes: +
In March 1950, twenty-seven students and professors from the University of Miami's Players (the Drama Department's Theater Company) traveled to Havana sponsored by Havana's Patronato del Teatro, the U.S. embassy in Cuba, and Dr. Luis Rodríguez-Molina, director of UM’s short-lived Hispanic American Theater Program. This was the Drama Department's first international production. It was also the first U.S. university theater production in Cuba. Finally, according to the research carried out until now, this appears to be the first U.S. university theater production to travel internationally.
They took Light Up the Sky, which already had had 25 performances at The Ring. According to several reviews published in Miami, "this fast-moving three-act play was enthusiastically received by Cuban audiences." A series of photographs taken by Larry Fried documents their three-day trip including the hotel in which they stayed, several sightseeing tours, students in candid poses, and one photograph of the performance itself. The trip ended with a private party at the exclusive Havana Yacht Club organized by Dr. Baldomero Gray, then president of the Patronato del Teatro.
Cooper, Mike. "Drama Department Goes South: Light Up the Sky Cast Works and Plays in Havana." The Miami Tempo. Volume 1, Apr. 1950: 18-19.
MacAbee, Doris A. "'Magnifico' Say Cuban and Americans of 'Sky's' 3-Day Havana Showing." The Miami Hurricane. 24 Mar. 1950. Microfilm
University of Miami Libraries, University Archives, ASU0642, Box 27, Folder 20.
Author: Anjoly Ibrahim (SPA 321, Spring 2010), Lillian Manzor (2012-04-20)