Francisco Covarrubias stood out in Cuba in the first half of the 19th century for his work as an actor and writer of plays. He is considered in the history of this artistic manifestation as the emblematic figure of the Cuban scene, creator of the vernacular theater in our territory and initiator of costumbrismo in Cuban literature. He introduced popular characters into his works.

He was born in Havana on October 5, 1775. He received a careful education from a young age. Since he was 25 years old, he was captivated by the theater and this made him finally decide to dedicate himself entirely to art life. Later he had the opportunity to perform in different Cuban theaters.

Such was the acceptance on the scene that Covarrubias became the most popular actor of his time. He also contributedas playwrightto the development of Cuban theater. Beginning in 1810, he startedwriting one or two plays per year but none are preserved today.

Francisco Covarrubias was intimately related to Cuban theater for almost half a century. This great actor was not only the best of his time, but he also wrote a series of highly popular sainetes. Among the titles of his works are The Inland Peon, La Valla de los Gallos, Las tertulias de La Habana and Los velorios de La Habana, written in 1814, and La Feria de Carraguao, in 1815.

Researcher and critic HelioOrobio wrote in his dictionary about the contribution made by this actor and creator that thanks to Covarrubias, the Cuban language was spoken on our national stage. It was also pointed out that the seed of Covarrubias spread over popular theater in our country.

In these plays, Covarrubias used to insert melodious songs, many of which had a great impact on the public, reaching great popularity, they were repeated by the people in the streets and places of entertainment.

Francisco Covarrubias officially retired from the stage in 1847, and almost three years later he died June 22, 1850 in Havana. He died poor and almost forgotten at the age of 75, after a long and brilliant stage career but his name over time has become a symbol of the national theater.