Este 19 de abril de 2020, falleció en su domicilio René Buch, dramaturgo y director

teatral, y cofundador y director artístico de Repertorio Español, a los 94 años de edad.

Buch ha sido uno de los grandes instigadores de la escena hispana en Nueva York al
frente de su compañía.

Nacido el 19 de diciembre de 1925, en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba, Buch se doctoró

en derecho en la Universidad de La Habana en 1948. Los años cuarenta fue una época
importante para el teatro en Cuba, al refugiarse en La Habana cuando artistas de talla
mundial durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Buch se inspiró para desarrollar su
escritura teatral tras haber sido espectador de todas las producciones del dramaturgo y
director francés Louis Jouvet (1887-1951). Jouvet no pudo regresar a su Francia natal
por la guerra y continuó trabajando en Cuba, influyendo indirectamente en el joven
Buch. A los veinte años, Buch ganó el Premio Nacional del Patronato del Teatro con
Del agua de la vida. Esta obra marcó una nueva era para Buch; obtuvo el apoyo de la
organización Pro Arte de Oriente y, bajo sus auspicios, fundó Acción Teatral de Actores
para producir un nuevo teatro cubano.

En 1949, se matriculó en la Escuela de Drama de Yale y enseñó lengua y literatura

españolas mientras cursaba su maestría. Después de graduarse, fue Editor Asociado de
las Artes en la revista Visión y, simultáneamente, Editor de la sección cultural de El
Diario La Prensa. Luego fue editor de la edición en español del Diario de las Naciones
Unidas. Buch se convirtió más tarde en jefe de creatividad en español para J. Walter
Thompson, así como editor de libros para Reader's Digest.

En 1968, Buch regresó al teatro con La dama duende, que le valió los premios al mejor
director y a la mejor obra en español de la Asociación de Críticos de Espectáculos
Latinos de Nueva York (ACE). Buch y el productor Gilberto Zaldívar se unieron a
Robert Federico en 1971 y trasladaron su compañía de teatro al Gramercy Arts Theatre,
bajo su nuevo nombre, Repertorio Español. El éxito de crítica de la primera producción
de la compañía, ¿Quién teme a Virginia Woolf? preparó el escenario a la consideración
años de la crítica en inglés y español y el público. La compañía comenzó en su misión
de producir teatro canónico en español, destacando sus producciones del Siglo de Oro,
así como obras traducidas al español, así como lo mejor del teatro latinoamericano,
español e hispanoamericano, para presentarlas a un amplio público en Nueva York y en
todo el país.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKXtgTJXlWU&feature=emb_logo

Bajo la dirección de Buch, Repertorio Español se convirtió en una compañía de

repertorio, representando diferentes obras en rotación semanal a lo largo de una
temporada. Repertorio Español alcanzó con Buch una gran repercusión tanto dentro de
Nueva York como a nivel nacional e internacional. Fue la primera compañía en español
que representó a los Estados Unidos en una gira por los Estados Unidos, América Latina
y España. Ha actuado en más de 30 estados y 16 países. Con más de 250 producciones
originales desde su creación, la compañía ha actuado antes más de millón y medio de
espectadores y casi un millón de estudiantes de secundaria.
Buch se abrió camino a través de una impresionante variedad de obras de teatro, desde
los clásicos del siglo XVII hasta el nuevo teatro Latino. El prolífico trabajo de Buch
como director incluye producciones para CSC, el Pearl Theater, The Milwaukee Rep,
Albany's Capital Rep, La Compañía de Albuquerque, el Folger Theatre de Washington,
el Ashland Shakespeare Festival de Oregón y The Old Globe de San Diego. Dentro del
escenario musical, dirigió zarzuelas y algunas de las más grandes antologías musicales
de Repertorio, haciendo de la música parte de su visión del legado artístico de la
compañía.

Desde sus inicios, Repertorio ha mantenido una compañía estable, atrayendo a muchos
veteranos talentosos y actores hispanos emergentes, como Yolanda Arenas y Ofelia
González, que fue la primera actriz en ganar un Premio Obie sin actuar en inglés. Otra
incorporación fue la de la bailaora Pilar Rioja en 1973, marcando el comienzo de una
relación que ha establecido a la Sra. Rioja como una leyenda en la Danza Española. En
1980, el Director Musical Pablo Zinger inició un conjunto musical que presentó
zarzuelas, óperas y elegantes antologías musicales.

En 1984, la compañía comenzó a presentar y encargar nuevas obras de autores

hispanoamericanos y en 1991 inauguró un sistema de traducción simultánea por
infrarrojos que ofrece la oportunidad de que el público no hispano parlante disfrute de la
amplia selección de obras de la compañía.

Más recientemente, Repertorio presentó el estreno mundial en español del drama Ana
en el trópico de Nilo Cruz, ganador del Premio Pulitzer. El elenco de la obra incluía
celebridades como la estrella de la telenovela española Francisco Gattorno y la Miss
Universo Denise Quiñones.

Las impresionantes capacidades y talento de René Buch lo convirtieron en un

visionario. Numerosos premios sirven como tributo a su oficio. Estos incluyen un OBIE
por trayectoria artística (1989), un premio Drama Desk por logros artísticos (1996), un
premio ENCORE por cuarenta años de excelencia sostenida en la gestión del Consejo
de Artes y Negocios de Nueva York (2007), y el Theatre Communications Group's
Theatre Practitioner Award (2008) entre otros. Buch fue galardonado con el premio
OBIE a la trayectoria (2011) y fue condecorado con la Orden de Isabel la Católica
(2012) por el Rey Juan Carlos I de España por sus contribuciones a las relaciones
culturales entre España y los Estados Unidos.

A lo largo de su vida, la creatividad de Buch no sólo brilló en el mundo del teatro, sino
también como abogado, periodista, editor y pintor. Su receta de frijoles negros cubanos
fue presentada en el New York Times (1969). El legado artístico de René continuará
inspirando a los creadores de teatro, a los espectadores y a los actores.

"René era un director maravilloso con el que trabajar. Era amable y dispuesto siempre a
colaborar. Era conocido por ser exigente, y sí, era bastante exigente. Pero todo era para
servir al arte. Su arte se basaba en la exploración y el descubrimiento, en las
posibilidades. Fui bendecido más allá de las bendiciones cuando dirigió La gringa. -
Carmen Rivera, dramaturga de 'La gringa' con 24 años en Repertorio.

"Nunca olvidaré haber visto la versión española de Anna en los Trópicos en Repertorio,
y haberme maravillado por su dirección, la economía y la simplicidad de su producción,
que hizo que el lenguaje se elevara a mayores alturas" - Nilo Cruz, dramaturgo y Premio
Pulitzer.

"René me liberó del naturalismo y me abrió el mundo de la imaginación teatral. Nunca

hubiera sido el dramaturgo en el que me convertí sin el amor, el conocimiento, el talento
y la tutela de René". - Eduardo Machado, Dramaturgo.

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It is with deep sorrow that Repertorio EspañoI announces the

passing of its Co-founder and Artistic Director, René Buch.
April 20, 2020 Leave a comment

René Buch, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Repertorio Español passed away at
home on April 19th, 2020, in his 94th year.
Born on December 19, 1925, in the city of Santiago, Cuba, Buch went on to receive a
doctorate in law from Universidad de La Habana in 1948. The forties were an important
period for theater in Cuba when world-class artists took refuge in La Habana during
World War II. Buch was inspired to write his own theater work after being in the
audience for every production by French playwright and director Louis Jouvet (1887-
1951). Jouvet could not return to his native France at the time because of the war and he
continued to work in Cuba, indirectly motivating a young Buch. At the age of twenty,
Buch won the National Prize from Patronato del Teatro after entering his first
playwriting competition with Del agua de la vida [From the Waters of Life.] This play
marked a new era for Buch; he earned support from the organization Pro Arte de
Oriente, and under its auspices, founded Acción Teatral de Actores to produce new
Cuban theater.

In 1949, he enrolled in the Yale Drama School and taught Spanish language and
literature while pursuing his MFA.  After graduating, he was Associate Editor for the
Arts at Visión magazine and, simultaneously, Editor of the cultural section at El Diario
La Prensa. He was then editor for the Spanish edition of the Journal of the United
Nations. Buch later became head of Spanish creative copy for J. Walter Thompson as
well as book editor for Reader’s Digest.

By 1968, Buch was back in the theater with La dama duende, which earned him awards
for Best Director and Best Work in Spanish by the Association of Latin Entertainment
Critics of New York (ACE). Buch and producer Zaldívar joined forces with Robert
Federico in 1971 and moved their theater company to the Gramercy Arts Theatre, under
its new name, Repertorio Español. The company began in its mission to produce
canonical theater in Spanish as well as works translated into Spanish.  Under Buch’s
direction, Repertorio established a collaborative acting ensemble, where actors would
rotate between different plays. His vision led Repertorio to great success, including
national and international tours of the company’s multiple productions.
Buch worked his way through an impressive array of theater works, ranging from 17th-
century classics to new Latinx theater. Notably, Buch directed canonical works from
Golden Age masters as well as the New York premieres of a remarkable display of
contemporary theater in Spanish. Buch’s prolific work as director includes productions
for CSC, the Pearl Theater, The Milwaukee Rep, Albany’s Capital Rep, La Compañía
de Albuquerque, Washington’s Folger Theatre, the Oregon’s Ashland Shakespeare
Festival and The Old Globe in San Diego. For the musical stage, he directed zarzuelas
and some of Repertorio’s greatest musical anthologies, making music part of his vision
for the company artistic legacy.

His impressive talents made him a visionary and numerous awards serve as tribute to his
craft. These include an OBIE for Artistic Trajectory (1989), a Drama Desk Award for
Artistic Achievement (1996), an ENCORE Award for forty years of Sustained
Excellence in Management by the Arts & Business Council of New York (2007), and
Theatre Communications Group’s Theatre Practitioner Award (2008) among others.
Buch was awarded a Lifetime Achievement OBIE Award (2011) and was bestowed
with The Order of Isabella the Catholic (2012) by King Juan Carlos I of Spain for his
contributions to Spain-U.S. cultural relations.

Throughout his life, Buch’s creativity not only shone brightly in the world of Theatre,
but also as a lawyer, journalist, editor, and painter; his recipe for Cuban black beans was
featured in the New York Times (1969). René’s artistic legacy will go on, inspiring
theatre-makers, goers, and actors alike.

A memorial service will be announced as soon as permitted. The family and friends of
René would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to all the health and care workers
during these difficult times.

About Repertorio Español >

Photo by Michael Palma Mir.

“René was a wonderful director to work with. He was welcoming and eager to
collaborate.  He was known for being demanding, and yes, he was quite demanding.
But it was all to serve the art. His artistry was all about exploration and discovery – it
was about the possibilities. I was so blessed beyond blessings that he directed ‘La
gringa’”. – Carmen Rivera, Playwright of ‘La gringa’ with 24 years in Repertory.

“I would never forget seeing the Spanish version of ‘Anna in the Tropics’ at Repertorio,
and being in awe of his direction, the economy, and simplicity of his production, which
made the language soar to greater heights”. – Nilo Cruz, Pulitzer Prize Winning
Playwright.

“René liberated me from naturalism into the world of the theatrical imagination. I
would have never been the playwright I became without Rene’s love, knowledge, talent,
and mentorship”.  – Eduardo Machado, Playwright.
Rene  Buch is a Cuban playwright and director who co-founded, with Gilberto Zaldivar
the Greenwich Mews Spanish Theatre in 1969. They produced Calderon’s LA DAMA
DUENDE in Spanish,  establishing  their  dream of a Spanish language classical theatre
for a Spanish speaking audience. In 1971, designer Robert Weber Federico joined them
and the company was renamed Repertorio Espanol.  Mr. Federico runs it today. Not
only are the plays in Spanish and English, but Repertorio  supports  a repertory
company doing different plays in weekly rotation year-round.  They are the first Spanish
company to represent the United States touring the United States, Latin-South  America
and Spain.

Born in Santiago, Cuba, Buch was the Founder and Director of Pro Arte de Oriente’s
Theatre Department and Havana’s  Accion Teatral de Autores. At ATA he produced
new works by Cuban playwrights. He got a Law Degree from Havana University before
coming to the United States and getting an MFA degree from the Yale School of
Drama. He taught Spanish language and literature at Yale while a student and worked
for the Radio and Television Department at The United Nations where he was editor of
The United Nations Journal Spanish Edition. As Associate Editor at Vision Magazine
and Editor of The Arts for The Latin American Times, he wrote about music, theater,
film, art and literature. He was a book editor for Reader’s Digest in Mexico City. He
received Spain’s The Order of Isabelle the Catholic for bringing Spanish culture to the
world. He has served on the panels of the National Endowment for the Arts, New York
State Council on the Arts, The Village Voice OBIE Awards Committee and the
Independent Committee on Arts Policy and Theatre Communications Group.  In 2011
he received a Lifetime Achievement OBIE Award.

Repertorio Español was founded in 1968 by Producer Gilberto Zaldívar and Artistic
Director René Buch to introduce the best of Latin American, Spanish, and Hispanic
American theater to broad-ranging audiences in New York City and around the country.
Robert Weber Federico joined the company two years later as Resident Designer and
Associate Artistic Producer and is currently the organization’s Executive Director.

Contents
 1 History
 2 Works or publications
 3 Notes and references
 4 Further reading
 5 External links

History
In 1972, Repertorio Español moved to the Gramercy Arts Theatre where the company
has since remained. The critical success of the company’s first production, Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf? set the stage for years of admiration by English and Spanish
newspaper critics and the company’s audiences.
From its earliest days, Repertorio has maintained a dramatic ensemble, attracting many
talented veterans and emerging Hispanic actors, including Yolanda Arenas and Ofelia
González, who was the first actress to win an Obie Award without having performed in
English. Another addition was Pilar Rioja in 1973, marking the beginning of a
relationship that has established Ms. Rioja as a legend in Spanish Dance. In 1980,
Musical Director Pablo Zinger initiated a musical ensemble that presented zarzuelas,
operas, and elegant musical anthologies.

In 1984, the company began to present and commission new plays by Hispanic
American playwrights, and in 1991 it inaugurated an infrared simultaneous translation
system that provides an opportunity for non-Spanish-speaking audiences to enjoy the
company’s vast selection of plays.

More recently, Repertorio presented the world premiere in Spanish of Nilo Cruz’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Ana en el trópico (Anna in the Tropics). The play’s cast
included celebrities such as Spanish TV soap opera star Francisco Gattorno and Denise
Quiñones (Miss Universe 2001).

Repertorio Español received the 2011 OBIE Award for Lifetime Achievement; a 1996
Drama Desk Special Award for presenting quality theater; a 1996 Obie Award for the
play series Voces nuevas (New Voices); the New York State Governor’s Award; as well
as many citations by the Asociación de Cronistas de Espectáculos (ACE) and the
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA).[1][2]

Repertorio Español is the vision of the late Producer Gilberto Zaldívar and Artistic
Director Emeritus René Buch. They combined forces in 1968 to produce excellent
theatre in Spanish. Robert Weber Federico joined them in 1971 and was named
Executive Producer in 2005. At the Gramercy Arts Theatre since 1972, Repertorio has
presented an unparalleled body of theater that promotes and divulges the rich heritage of
Hispanic theatre.

Spanish masters like Calderón, Lope de Vega and García Lorca; renowned playwrights
from Latin America; and the growing body of American writers who capture the Latino
experience in the United States, are all at home in Repertorio’s programming.

Repertorio’s ongoing history of remarkable theatre is well received at home and on tour.
With more than 250 original productions since its inception, the company has delighted
over 1.5 million people and 750,000 high school students. At the national and
international level, the Company has toured to critical acclaim to 30 states and 16
countries. It boasts an impressive array of OBIE, Drama Desk, ACE, HOLA and
ENCORE awards.

The Company presents over 300 performances of 15 different productions in rotating

repertory and guest events annually. The productions, some of which remain in
repertory for many years, are directed, designed and performed by a talented ensemble
of experienced and emerging Latino theatre artists from diverse Spanish-speaking
nations as well as the United States. The company’s productions are most often
performed in Spanish with English captions opening the door to non-Spanish speakers
to experience Latino theater as well.
Furthermore, education is fundamental to Repertorio’s mission. The Company’s
commitment to education is visible through the work of ¡Dignidad!, a word that means
both dignity and self-esteem.This remarkable initiative has been sharing theatre with
students and teachers since 1971. Each year, there are 100 schoolday matinee
performances for the benefit of high school students, many of who are attending theatre
for the first time. In 1998, ¡Dignidad! expanded its outreach with in-school artistic
residencies, family workshops and teacher training sessions.

Dedicated to the next generation of Latino artists, Repertorio has been cultivating
playwrights since 1984. Additionally, the annual MetLife Nuestras Voces National
Playwriting Competition, founded in 2000, has been generating new Latino theatre for
the 21st century. The Company also fosters recently graduated directors thanks to The
Edward and Sally Van Lier Fellowship for Directors, established in 1998.

The artistic achievements of Repertorio Español are built on the support of its audience
and individual donors as well as collaborative efforts with corporations, government
agencies and foundations. Repertorio, a vital component of the community, remains
committed to artistic innovation and educational responsibility, thereby creating
outstanding, relevant theatre for everyone.