Movement of cameras and lights, as well as the coming and going of well-known faces from Cuban Television through the filming rooms reveal that a new dramatized drama is being recorded these days: Saturdays of glory is his name.
The argument proposed by the writer Jorge Luis Sánchez is condensed into approximately 60 chapters. These reflect the story of three middle-aged friends who have known each other since childhood. Their lives will change course starting with one of their meetings every Saturday.
To command the new proposal, which will air in January 2025, the Telenovelas Production House called on the actress and director Tamara Castellanos, along with the experienced Ernesto Fiallo.
In the leading roles will be Tahimí Alvariño, Yudexi de Latorre and Yessie Arlet. They lead a cast made up of talented actors who hope to win the affection of the public who love the genre, so popular in Cuba.
The cast will also be made up of Paula Alí, Diana Rosa Suárez, Bárbaro Marín, Néstor Jiménez, Roque Moreno, Julio César Ramírez, Mario Rodríguez Tarife, Osvaldo Rojas, Leo Benítez, Niu Ventura, Raquel Rey, Zenia Bell, among others.
From inside
In Saturdays of glory Yudexy de La Torre plays Karelia, an actress at the age when characters begin to become scarce, especially women: middle age. “The first gift of this soap opera is being directed by Tamara Castellanos, with whom she had met before. We appreciate these adventures, because it is what we like to do; In them we meet actors, share and create new bonds.
“It has been a very nice experience to be next to Tahimí Alvariño, Yessie and Bárbaro Marín, who plays my husband. Despite the adversities that always appear, I am happy to be a part and I appreciate the experience of this soap opera that makes a cult of friendship. We must strengthen those relationships that become family; that’s what it’s about Saturdays of glory”.
When we were talking, the actress, originally from Granma, praised a colleague who was reviewing her text to enter the scene. Her face is not well known in our media, but Yessie Arlet’s dedication shows that we are in the presence of an artist committed to what she does.
“I appreciate the trust of the team, which has given me the opportunity to play Rita, a character with many nuances and full of surprises, who has taught me a lot. She is a surgeon who values friendship, traditions and family. Precisely all of her conflicts in her plot are due to the place she gives to her work and her family. We hope that the production reaches the entire public because it touches on current issues in our reality that need to be reflected on the small screen,” Yessie commented to OnCuba.
“At first, when Rita came to me, I thought we were very different, and that made me not understand her and judge her in certain decisions and conflicts. I have realized that we have many points in common and I have fallen much more in love with her. Although there are things in character where we are very different, there are other points where we meet,” she added.
Excited about her work in the drama, she could not contain her excitement at making her dream of working alongside actresses she admired ever since she decided to dedicate herself to this profession come true.
Even having achieved international recognition with productions in countries like Colombia, Tahimí Alvariño does not forget the moments that marked his career in Cuba. She continues to work in her native country alongside colleagues who have seen her grow in her craft.
“The culprit that I am participating in this drama is Tamara [Castellanos] and, of course, I was motivated by this story in which the weight is carried by mature women. In our audiovisuals it is not common for the protagonists to be from this age group. I am enjoying the creative process, having the product designed and putting it into practice. I would like the public to enjoy it like we are doing,” commented the unforgettable Martín de Roses on credit (nineteen ninety six).
“My character is called Omara, she is a law graduate who never gets to practice and decides to start a business to give a better life to her two children. She is an enterprising woman: she sets up a hostel and a restaurant inside her house, and with her performance she manages to make them work well and give her the results she expected. Omara has a free spirit, she is very ‘driven forward’, as they say, she sees life in a positive and particular way,” says Alvariño, who also considers that Omara has many characteristics similar to the way she faces life. her.
“She has many points in common with me, in the freedom that she defends. What we are most alike about is that she is very funny and she always tries to find the good things in life; “She enjoys every moment as if it were the last, because she knows the importance of living in the present,” she comments.
The viewers of Saturdays of glory They will also witness the return of actor George Abreu to the small screen. Abreu had been away from the media working on a venture that occupied him for much of the last five years.
After an image test followed by the dramatic text, they chose it because it fit perfectly with what was wanted for the character.
Convinced that his story will connect with the audience and touch the most sensitive chords, Abreu described OnCuba the characteristics of his character, Eduardo.
“He is the good guy in the novel, the loving, worried boy who helps his mother in the hostel.” [Omara, interpretada por Tahimí Alvariño] and that is why he abandons his studies. She has emotional shortcomings because her father apparently leaves the country, an aspect that in the course of the soap opera is revealed to be different and from that moment on there is an interesting twist.
“I was able to work with the directors Tamara Castellanos and Ernesto Fiallo, as well as with Tahimí Alvariño, who plays my mother and with whom I had never had the opportunity to meet. I discovered that she, in addition to the great actress that we all know she is, she is a wonderful woman,” she added.
On the other hand, one of the new faces of the Cuban small screen has treasured instructive stories and experiences during the recording process. This is Hansel Esteban Milanés, who had the dream of approaching this dramatic genre and found the opportunity in Saturdays of glory.
The member of the theater group Hubert de Blanck had participated in unitary After the trail and When a womanbut this time the audience will be able to become better acquainted with him through his interpretation of Edgar.
“This is my first time in the soap opera space. I play a well-rounded general practitioner; I have had to make an effort to master technical language, since it is a profession distant from mine. I have been able to value the dedication and work of these professionals from another perspective. I feel satisfied with my performance and I hope to live up to what is demanded of me. I try to draw on the most experienced actors, who have welcomed me very well, as has the production team,” commented Hansel, who finds the filming of a television production like this It has required a redoubled interpretive effort.
On the other side of the camera
Yamed Duranza, head of the makeup and hairdressing department of Cuban Television, assures that he has been very comfortable during the filming of the soap opera, due to the commitment he perceives in all the professionals who participate.
“From the moment we arrive at the locations, we prepare the actors who are going to film so that they stand out for their talent and also for the image they project on screen.
“They have been intense months in which we have had to innovate with the resources we have so that everything is as good as possible and that the soap opera has the quality that our times require.”
Moving from one side to the other and following the recording times, we find a woman who knows the importance of her role within an audiovisual.
While giving instructions to the actors who would enter the set, Gisela Diéguez, filming producer, took a break from her whirlwind of work to tell us what the experience was like.
“Coordinating all the processes that are generated in this type of audiovisuals requires great precision to synchronize the elements. It has required a lot of sacrifice and creativity, they have been marathon days practically throughout the week, in which we have had to guarantee resources so that the filming process does not stop. “We will continue to do everything in our power so that the work goes ahead and has the bill that our viewers deserve.”
If there is one person who has not rested since the directors of the Telenovelas Production House entrusted her with the mission of taking the reins, it has been Tamara Castellanos.
In this project, whose direction he shares with Ernesto Fiallo, he is also in charge of the character of Gladys.
“The central theme of the soap opera is the friendship that survives despite the barriers; the need to rescue values in our society. “It reflects a story that needs to be represented on the small screen, because middle age is the segment that is currently supporting our country,” he said.
The experienced actress leads accompanied by a team that includes Alfredo Pérez, assistant director, Yamil Santana, director of photography, and Claudia García in general production, among others.
“It has been a luxury to manage colleagues with whom I have interacted for a long time, and receive their expressions of affection and admiration. It has been reciprocal. These people have shown a lot of respect not only towards me, as director, but towards the entire group,” commented Castellanos, whose career on the small screen includes productions such as Under the same Sun, Stories of fire, Longed for encounter, The other corner, Pandora’s childrenamong other.
“Filming is the most emotional, what I enjoy the most. Then comes the editing, which is hard, because it is where you face what failed, what you could have achieved and don’t have. Then you have to look for the resources to cover and round all the points of the work,” he warns.
With the adrenaline generated by the process, the director reviews the scenes once again, reviews all the elements and gets ready to voice the action.
“Many times we linger on a single scene, but the goal is to make it as good as possible so that it is worth the effort of everyone involved in this production,” he said.
“We hope that, despite the shortcomings that have been worked on, the audience connects with this proposal that should be on screen at the beginning of 2025.”
Saturdays of glory It has all the ingredients to be a drama that many in the audience will be able to identify with. Its attractive story, together with the performance of the actors and technical staff, are enough elements for it to be welcomed with open arms.
