Meet Alexa Kuve | Alexa Kuve Arca Images

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexa Kuve and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Arca Images emerged in 2001 from our need for artistic self-expression. Collaborating next to me in this dream was, as usual, Larry Villanueva, actor, stage director, acting teacher. I came up with the name Arca for our nonprofit organization, and then Carlos Caballero, another actoor colleague who was also part of our team when we started, proposed to include the concept “images” next to the name to expand on and cover other artistic endeavors. Hence the name of the organization as we know it today. I didn’t want to wait for the opportunity to present itself to us. I wanted to create the opportunity for us to carry out our desired projects. Nilo Cruz (2003 Pulitzer Prize winner for “Ana in the Tropics”) joined Larry and me, in 2013. Initially he participated as the artistic director, but recently he assumed the role of playwright and director. To this date, I have produced over 75 shows for Arca Images, which include different artistic genres ranging from theater, staged readings, and musical concerts to visual arts exhibitions.

At the moment, Arca Images is the only production company in our city that produces year around theater plays in Spanish. We have presented classic and modern works from renowned playwrights such as Chejov and Moliere as well as those by contemporary authors such as René Ariza, Virgilio Piñera, Guillermo Calderón, Sarah Ruhl, Joel Cano, Abel González Melo and Nilo Cruz, among others.

In 2019, the plays “Historia de amor” and “estaba en casa y esperaba que llegara la lluvia, by the French playwright Jean-Luc Lagarce (1957-1995) gained controversial notoriety. These were Miami premieres of works in which the dramatic action revolved around itself, surprising the audience with an unusual story telling approach.

In 2021, Arca Images produced the worldwide premieres of “Fallen Angels,” by playwright Joel Cano, “Vuelve a contármelo todo,” by playwright González Melo, and “Hotel Desiderium,” a commission by Arca Images, written and directed by Nilo Cruz.

In 2022, Arca commissioned and produced “Abismo,” written by González Melo, and directed by the Cuban artist Carlos Celdrán, and “Kisses Through the Glass.” written and directed by Nilo Cruz. Our third production of this year, “Mozart and Salieri” by Alexander Pushkin, took place in May as a celebration to Arca’s 21st anniversary.

Thanks to the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and their International Cultural Program we have been able to collaborate with artists in Spain and France and take our work to Paris and Madrid, where we have presented “Fallen Angels” at Théâtre de Nesle, and “Vuelve a contármelo todo” and “Abismo” at Teatro Lagrada.

And just this month our production of Ionesco’s classic “The Bald Soprono,” in Spanish, was named the best theatrical production of 2022 by the daily newspaper Diario Las Americas.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
There is good theater in Miami. Usually people don’t think about theater when they come to our city…and even locals don’t think about their city as a place for “theater”. But there are good year-round productions and Arca Images offers high caliber plays in Spanish with simultaneous
translation in English.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The sunshine state offers summer-like weather all year round and you definitely have to enjoy the beaches and the night life that our city offers to locals and visitors. Great restaurants with various cuisines are also a highlight of our city and the list is endless…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I would love to Shoutout Morphe Studio. A wonderful boutique fitness studio like no other in Miami…where Roberto Santamarina, fitness coach, owner, and my husband…, gives personalized, effective, human attention to all of his clients. (305-3024523)

Website: www.arcaimages.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/arcaimages/

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/arcaimages