“I received a lot more from the theater than I gave him”
He is a great man who loves deeply and vocationally what he already started at 20, his world, the Theater. He says that “to do something for others you have to believe in what you do and, above all, love it”.
When he sees one of his shows, he can’t help but think, full of pride, “this is there for me”.
Since he left his Valladolid, being a kid, he doesn’t know what holidays are.
He has known and looked after countless personalities, but he remembers with particular affection Juan Pablo IIthe mother Teresa, From there y Picasso.
has more than 400 construction product and its 80 years, nor does the withdrawal arise. “80 is a wonderful number when fate allows you to be current and excited about new projects.”
Your company currently Initiatives theatrical, manages and manages the Theater skunk from Valladolidthe Muñoz Seca in Madrid and the bat in Cartagena.
He is a gentleman through and through and uses every opportunity to prove it. A coffee or a chat with him are moments to remember.
We speak with Mr. Enrico Dogwood.
Alberto Vázquez: Where does that passion for him come from? Theater?
Henry Cornejo: I think because he is from Valladolid. How come? Because Valladolid has always been a very cultured city and in my time, more than 60 years ago, the culture was very deep in all its expressions and the theater was a permanent point of reference among the citizens. The theater has permeated me from an early age and has never abandoned my person. It’s my passion.
Alberto Vázquez: What is that moment when you say “I am a theater manager”?
Henry Cornejo: At the age of 20, I started my own company. It was a traveling company with a tent. Since then I have opened 13 theaters, transformed them, opened them and so on until today when I manage different spaces. I remain tied to everything that is starting the road, for many to have fun and have fun, which, after all, is the aim of every theatrical entrepreneur.
Alberto Vázquez: What were your best and worst moments as an entrepreneur?
Henry Cornejo: I have had many highlights in my career, with great successes and, at the same time, many failures. And also bitterness and disappointments. All this is part of the entrepreneur. It is not always fair. The best time is when success is achieved for others and for oneself. The worst is experiencing the bitterness that teamwork and strong investment don’t take hold with viewers. It is our life, we live in triumphs and failures.
Alberto Vázquez: Did you discover the stars?
Henry Cornejo: Well, I had the satisfaction of being the vehicle that made possible the triumph of various stars of the moment. I don’t give their name, I would appreciate it if they wanted to. Some point out that their beginnings were by my side and thanks to my trust. But what I did was a vehicle for them to show their talent and good faith, if that’s what you call discovering, then yes, I discovered the stars.
Alberto Vázquez: What does it mean to be an entrepreneur of the “wall”?
Henry Cornejo: Throughout our lives, those of us who come from venues dedicated exclusively to the theater and corporate entrepreneurs to those like us who are producers have been called that. The walls are the cabin where companies develop their work.
Alberto Vázquez: There are many who say that Spanish theater would not be the same without it Enrico Dogwood.
Henry Cornejo: This can only be said by great friends, honestly. Or a family member who loves me well. The theater will continue without Enrico Dogwood, as it has been doing for thousands of years. I got a lot more from the theater than I gave it. I gave him my illusion, my enthusiasm, my good work … and the theater has given me an invaluable spiritual reward.
Alberto Vázquez: What is your vision of culture and theater at the moment?
Henry Cornejo: I would answer you with a question: how do you see society? Because the company is a true reflection of everything else. Culture continues to advance and with new forms. There are new forms of scenic expression, new architects, but at the root of the theater is the word and the gesture, if you can’t write something interesting that the actors transmit through that fourth invisible wall, there is no theater.
I also tell you that politicians care about the history of a people and the transmission of its culture.
Alberto Vázquez: The best advice you’ve been given and the best you could give?
Henry Cornejo: That we should all take care of our theater over the centuries, which has been and should be. But, more than advice, what I like to give is a guide. Personally, I have rarely practiced what they have given me, because I have always been a rather intuitive man, and I have been guided by my beliefs in what I have done.
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