House of Bernarda Alba (The)

              Purdue-Indiana Theatre
presents
THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA
A Drama about Women in the Villages of Spain
By Federico Garcia Lorca
Purdue-Indiana Theatre Presents
THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA
by
Federico Garcia Lorca
Directed by Larry L. Life
Setting Designed
by
Raymond S. Wilkes
Lighting Designed
by
Jan Swank
CHARACTERS
Costumes Designed
by
Lyn Stangland
Associate Director
Neal Bearman
Bernarda, the Matriarch .••••••••••••••••.•• Carol Dailey
Maria Josefa, Bernarda's Mother ..•.•.......•. Judy Geary
Angustias, Bernarda's eldest Daughter .•.. Jill Armstrong
Magdalena, Bernarda's Daughter ..•.•.•.....• Marcia Kress
Amelia, Bernarda's Daughter ..•..•..•. Connie Bartkiewicz
Martirio, Bernarda's Daughter ......••......•. Pat Fisher
Adela, Bernarda's youngest Daughter .•.•.... Denise Moore
The Servant ..••.••.••••.•.•••.•.••.•.....•.. Cindy .Smyth
La Poncia, a Maid ..•..•.••••••.•••••••.•••..• Pat Victor
Prudencia, a Neighbor •.•..••••••••..••... Laura Thompson
A Beggar Woman ..••••••..•••.•••.••••...• Kip Stritmatter
Her Daughter .•..•••••••••••••.•..•.••.••• Carolyn Fisher
The action of the play occurs over a period of
three months and takes place in the common room
of Bernarda Alba's home in a small village in
Spain.
There will be one fifteen minute intermission.
PRODUCTION STAFF
Assistant Director ••••.•••• ~ •••••••••.•••••. Neal Bearman
Stage Manager .•..•.•••.••••.••.•••••.••••••• Becky Bowser
Sound .••.•••••••...•.•••..•••••••••••••••.•• Gerry Snyder
·Lights •••••••••.•••.••..•.•.•..• Chuck Davis, Steve Snapp
Properties ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••. Margie Howard
Neil Hartman, Phil Darling
Costume Construction •••••.•••••••• Carol Dailey, Edie Vel
Connie Bartkiewicz, Denise Moore
Robert Pequinot,_ Diane Voltz
Becky Bowser, Cindy Smyth, Margo Betz
Kathy Hartman, Neal Hartman
Yoshi Davis, Marcia Kress, Lee Wells
Set Construction •.•••.•••••.••••• David Landy, Dan Kelley
Stagecraft Class, 0. Franklin Kenworthy
Public Relations •••.•••••••••••••..••.•.•.••••• Jan Swank
Photography •.••.•.••••••..•.••••.•.••..••.••• Jeff Gibson
Box Office •••••••••••••••••••••••.•••. · •.•••.. David Landy
Green Room Display ••.•••••..••••.•.•••••••• Charles Allen
Poster Design & Printing ...• Neal Bearman & Lyn Stangland
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Howard's Camera and Gift Shop
Leath Furniture
Win Schuler's Restaurant
Crosier House of Studies
St. Mary's Catholic Church
South Side High School Music Department
Mr. & Mrs. Rod Howard
Mrs. C. W. Howard
Peg Geyer
Carol Dailey
Pat Victor
Spanish Culture Consultant
Virginia Craig, Ph.D.
·TWO ONE-ACTS:
COMING ATTRACTIONS
SOMETHING UNSPOKEN
by Tennessee Williams
RIDERS TO THE SEA
by John M. Synge ·
TWO MORE One-Acts:
Dec. 7-8
THE PROPOSAL Dec. 14-15
by Anton Chekov
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by Edward Albee
AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATRE
REGIONAL FESTIVAL Jan. 4-5-6
(Six plays from Region IV - Schools
from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Western
Penn. A different play each afternoon
and evening.)
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
A new adaptation of Ken Kesey's
best selling novel, still playing
on Broadway.
Feb. 15-16-17
22-23-24
Mar. 1-2-3
FAMILY THEATRE FESTIVAL Mar. 11-17
A week of at least five different
plays presented by various Children's
Theatre companies from Indiana including
children's art exhibit, outstanding films
for children, and creative dramatics
workshops for children.
JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND
LIVING IN PARIS
Apr. 5-6-7
by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman
12-13-14
19-20-21
Notes on Spanish Traditions
in
BERNARDA ALBA
Lorca is making a very strong statement
about the restrictions placed on women in Spain.
The play deals with many things strongly con­nected
with the culture of the people and many
of these customs still exist today in Spain.
One of the concepts that is an example of this
is the custom of Courtship. The future bride­groom
is never allowed to enter the house of
his future bride. He may stand at her window and
speak to her through the iron grille work, but
he may not enter the house. Also important is
the custom of Mourning. When a death occurs in
a family, a period of three years of formal mourn­ing
is assumed. In the play the Matriarch imposes
a period of eight years which is an older custom.
Today in Spain it is of three years duration.
During this time the women may not leave the house
for any reason other than to go to church. Also
at this time, the family sends out all clothing,
including undergarments and night clothing and
has them dyed black.
Other traditions are those of Marriage and
Honor. None of the girls in a family may marry
until the eldest is married, once she is betrothed,
then the others are free to marry. Also important
is the tradition of a young woman who has dis­honored
her family, she has one of two choices,
she either takes her own life or enters a convent.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
BERNARDA ALBA is a striking example of Tragedy in
the classical sense. We are dealing with noble char­acters,
at least Bernarda prefers to think of her family ·
as the nobility. And indeed, in this small Spanish
village in which the play is set, the family of Alba is
the nobility. There is also a certain classicism to .·
the language arid the almost poetic way in which the .char.:. .·
acters express themselves.
But the play is more than just a lovely example of
a Classic Tragedy with its imperative climax and cathar­sis.
Lorca was making a very strong statement about the
stilted and stifling traditions of the Spanish people,
particularly those dealing with women. He is attacking
the concept of "That's the way it is and we must .accept
it." It is my personal conviction that when looked at
in this light the character of Bernarda becomes less
of a villian and the incarnation of evil. Bernarda is
older and has become heavily indoctrinated into her
tradition and her daughters are at various stages of
indoctrination. Adela, being the youngest, is the rebel.
The true evil in the play then, is the unrelenting tradi-.
tion~ the structure that will not bend and takes no
account of the fact that all human beings have needs
and desires that must be recognized and dealt with, not
shut away in a house where eventually they will begin
to express themselves in ways more terrifying and evil
than the human mind can fathom. This is to me the
meaning and importance of the play. Traditions, rules,
restrictions, etc. are not in and of themselves bad,
many are very necessary and valuable to our lives, but
nothing is of any value or importance if the human
being is not considered first. The play has been a
very exciting experience for all of us working on it. I
wish to commend and thank everyone connected with the
production who have given so much of their time to pre­pare
what is, I believe, a very beautiful and moving ·
theatrical experience.
L. Life