Henry Díaz Vargas

Henry is one of the most recognized playwrights today in Colombia. Born in Armenia, Colombia, his childhood was filled with violence that caused his family to move from city to city. This violence impacted him and influenced his plays, seeing as how many of them focus on the street as a space and include themes such as prostituion, homophobia, and hitmen. Some of his plays include, “Los honores,” “El puño contra la roca,” and “Las puertas.” Although he never went to university, he has taught many theater courses as a professor. In 1979 he founded the theater group, Las Puertas, which became a very important part of his life. He also worked towards the foundation of the Pequeño Teatro where political plays against the government were performed. He even went on to become an elected member of the Congreso Nacional de Teatro. In 1981, he then became one of the founding members of the Academia de Teatro de Antioquia, hoping to light a passion for the performing arts in children and young people. He set a goal for himself to write one play a year since he considers theater to be such a personal thing to him. While many artists inspired him, Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill impacted him the most and inspired his style of writing. In terms of street theater, Díaz Vargas’s plays have been performed near and far. In Colombia, many performances were given near the Magdalena River with fishermen as the main audience. Experiences like these shape his work and encourage him to continue writing even today.