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Minerva Mena (September 11, 1930 – December 10, 2004) was a Mexican actress and university professor. She was founding teacher of the Faculty of Performing Arts at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León and an influential icon in the theatrical activity of Nuevo León.
Biography
Early years
She was the daughter of Jesús Mena Gutiérrez and Felisa Peña Martínez, who formed the musical comedy duo Mena-Peña, performing zarzuela and operetta. They were itinerant variety singers, announcers, and pioneers of radio entertainment in Monterrey, Nuevo León, where they decided to settle in the mid-1930s.
According to family accounts, Minerva was born in the city of Los Angeles, California on September 11, 1930, and later became a Mexican citizen, although it should be clarified that the birth certificate, promoted by Minerva herself before the Civil Registry of the state of Nuevo León, states that she was born in Monterrey on the same day.
She was the youngest of three siblings. Her brothers, Raúl Rubén, a director and choreographer closely associated with musical revues, and Jesús Daniel, a set designer and visual artist, were very involved in the theatrical scene of Monterrey and collaborated on several projects together, but they never formalized a theater company.
Minerva Mena grew up in an environment filled with artistic expressions but had a childhood marked by economic hardships. Her parents set up a variety tent called "Carpa México," located on Calzada Madero in the city of Monterrey, which burned down a couple of times. After these financial setbacks, they decided to leave the business and seek a stable income as announcers and commercial singers on local radio to provide a better education for their children.
Her first studies were received from a teacher who, being an actor, traveled with the zarzuela company. Her early theatrical performances were playing child roles in the shows her parents produced, alongside her brothers.
At the age of 11, she enrolled in a dance academy, and her dream was to become a classical ballet dancer, but it was shattered when her father died in a car accident. After this event, and still very young, she accepted a position offered by the same dance school to teach newly admitted students. She even used her home to give classes. During her childhood and early youth, she played various roles in theater, radio dramas, and participated in various radio commercials.
Professional life
At the age of 16, she was invited to assist in the staging of a musical revue at the then-University of Nuevo León, where she was in charge of choreographing, as the production was purely student-driven. She also had a small role in the production and received praise from the local press, marking her formal debut in what would become her lifelong career.
She received numerous awards and recognition from local and national critics. Even the renowned and influential American actress Helen Hayes, who saw her perform only once, invited her to Broadway and offered to be her mentor. However, Minerva Peña rejected this offer, as well as others made by important figures in the theater scene in Mexico City, such as Manolo Fábregas and Rafael Banquells. She was praised by Ofelia Guilmáin, who called her the "young girl from Monterrey."
An influential theater critic from Monterrey stated: "She had natural talent, intense vitality, and temperament. She explored various theater genres and worked in different areas. She was involved in all aspects and activities of the theater, so nothing was unknown to her. From acting and directing to makeup and costume design. She also participated in dance, radio, film, and television, but it was in theater where she achieved dozens of triumphs and national recognition."
She had a role in the first Mexican soap opera, "Agonía de amar" (The Agony of Loving), produced in Monterrey, where she shared credits with Susana Alexander.
She gained the most recognition for her character roles. Her most widely known image is as Bernarda Alba in Federico García Lorca's play "The House of Bernarda Alba."
She ventured into production as well and, alongside Architect Refugio Luis Barragán, her husband at the time, they purchased a theater they named "Mayo." They remodeled it and dedicated it to experimental productions. Later, it was handed over to the University of Nuevo León, which renamed it "Teatro Lope de Vega," and years later, it was transferred to the Universidad Regiomontana. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by a fire.
She was contemporary with a renowned generation of actors and actresses from Monterrey.
She was the founding teacher of the School of Performing Arts at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, where she worked as a lecturer in the specialization of Biomechanics and Corporal Expression until her retirement in 1996.
On June 11, 2009, her name was perpetuated as one of the pillars of Theater in Nuevo León through a tribute paid by UANL, naming one of the classrooms at the Faculty of Performing Arts after her and unveiling a commemorative plaque.
Personal life
In 1966, she married the architect Refugio Luis Barragán, who also excelled in the theater scene as an actor and director. In the 1970s, the couple decided to separate, and they made the decision official by signing the divorce papers.
From this union, three children were born: Marcela (1966-2024), José Luis (1969), and Gabriela Guadalupe (1972), the latter known as Gálu. Marcela, the eldest daughter, gave Minerva Mena Peña her only two grandchildren: Arturo (1994) and Andrés (2002).
On December 10, 2004, she died in Monterrey after suffering the physical and neurological consequences of a cerebral embolism for nine months. Her death occurred just four days after the passing of her ex-husband, who had lost his life to cancer in the city of San Antonio, Texas.
Minerva Mena Peña has received numerous posthumous tributes from civil, cultural, and educational authorities in the state of Nuevo León.
Awards
Revelation of the Year, El Heraldo de México Newspaper, 1965.
Public Recognition for Civic Merit, Presea Estado de Nuevo León, 1990 (Theater category)
UANL Arts Award, 1991 (As an actress).
Recognition - Tribute, CONARTE, CONACULTA, INBA, UANL, 2000
Appearances
Television
"Agonía de Amar" Soap opera.
Film
"El Destierro" (1976), short film directed by Jesús J. Torres.
Theatre
Some plays she performed in include:
- "Prohibido Suicidarse en Primavera" by Alejandro Casona
- "Suddenly Last Summer" by Tennessee Williams
- "The Flies" by Jean Paul Sartre
- "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare
- "Los Mangos de Caín" by Abelardo Estornino
- "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller
- "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams
- "A View from the Bridge" by Arthur Miller.
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