8 years of mourning that explodes with the passion of two lovers.
After her second husband’s death, matriarch Bernarda Alba imposes an eight-year rigorous and asphyxiating mourning period on her household and prohibits her five daughters from any form of relationship. When Angustias, the eldest daughter, inherits a large sum of money from her father, Bernarda’s first husband, an attractive suitor from the village, Pepe el Romano, feels attracted to the wealth. Angustias and Pepe get engaged, but he simultaneously has an affair with Adela, the youngest daughter, with whom he meets at night while the rest sleep.
When Bernarda discovers them, there is a big fight between them and Bernarda shoots Pepe, but he manages to escape. After hearing the shooting, Adela thinks her lover is dead and hangs herself.
Bernarda, worried about her family’s reputation, that Adela has died a virgin and demands them to remain quiet and continue the mourning.
RELEVANT DATA: Federico García Lorca is one of the most important Spanish writers to achieve international recognition. He was a poet, playwright and novelist, member of the Generation of ’27, and considered as one of the most influential voices of the Spanish poetry and drama of the 20th century. His plays have been translated into dozens of languages and they are still performed all around the world.
The House of Bernarda Alba is inspired in real events. Lorca recreated the claustrophobic universe lived inside the house next to his family’s. This play was his last creation, written before his execution for his political ideology and his homosexuality. The House of Bernarda Alba is considered a classic; the obsession of Lorca for reflecting the sense of tragedy and the repression of a rural atmosphere contribute to the recognition of this play as an essential and unforgettable work of the universal literature.
Since its publication, The House of Bernarda Alba has been one of the most read and studied literary works in schools of Spanish-speaking countries.
Lorca was recently adapted to the big screen (once again) in La novia, a film adaptation of his original play Blood Wedding. La novia received several nominations and awards in the main Hispanic Film Festivals.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: A FILM adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba is currently being developed.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Arabic, Greek, Chinese, and Japanese.
