This production is an adaptation of the acclaimed play by Frederico Garcia Lorca, House of Bernarda Alba. Although the play was written more than 80 years ago, the story of women pitted against each other as they fight social norms and the heavy weight of tradition is timeless.

​

Set in a house in Andalusia, Spain, five women are ruled by the iron fist of their mother, Bernarda. They are grieving the loss of their father, and Bernarda has forced them into an eight-year mourning period that includes a ban on any romantic relationship of their own choosing. Sexual tension, jealousy, and desire lie at the heart of the characters as the sisters grapple with the presence of Pepe, a handsome suitor. Bernarda appoints her eldest daughter (and recipient of her father’s inheritance) to be courted by Pepe. Anger and volatility build, however, when it is discovered that he and Bernarda’s youngest daughter are already having an affair.

​

We take the adaptation one step further with the inclusion of “The Gallery” – a company of women who observe, mirror, comment on, and ultimately intervene in the action of the story. More than just re-enacting Lorca’s meditation on the sisters and their lives, we have added an alternative ending to the story that leaves space for hope, for growth, and for change.

​