Presented by the Theatre shop on Jul 24, 1996 at the Lawn.
Notes
Blood Wedding, a brief history...
"On 22 July 1928, in the dusty head of the Andalusian province of Almería, a young bride abandoned her husband-to-be on the very morning of their wedding day to elope with her childhood sweetheart. In this society, where the obsession with reputation and honor has been sharpened by prolonged contacts with successive waves of Islam and inquisitorial Catholocism, retribution was both swift and violent. An ambush was laid, the lover was shot dead and the wayward bride strangled an left for dead by her own sister, outraged at the public disgrace brought on the family name. The people of the village Níjar, where the events had taken place, closed ranks and drew a heavy veil of silence over the whole affair, a silence which has remained unbroken until 1985. The incident did stir some passing interest in both the local and national press but, like nearly all new items of a similarly sensational nature, just as quickly slipt from public memory. It seemed that the 'crime of Níjar', as it had been rapidly dubbed, would be forgotten by all but those who had actually experienced the tragic events at first hand. It was at this point, however, that the creative imagination of Federico García Lorca intervened, reinterpreting the whole incident in line with the most fundamental preoccupations of his owk work and producing, as he did so, a play which ranks as an acknoelwdged classic of world theatre."
-David Johnston
Cast Note:
Federico García Lorca was fascinated by the many layers of human emotion and humanity's intrinsic connection with the natural forces that control our lives. Lorca's plays and poems are thick with metaphor and symbolism. We have tried to produce a piece of theatre that is both theatrically challenging and true to the spirit of the author. It is our hope that you will find this production both stimulating and entertaining.
The actors will be performing in masks which some audience members may find unsettling. We apologize for any discomfort that may be caused but hope this will not impede your enjoyment of the show.
We will dance through our isolation.
-Dead Can Dance
