Artistic Staff Assistant Scenic Designer
Lia Tubiana
Assistant Costume Designer
Kiyoshi Shaw
Assistant Sound Designer/Engineer
Stan Mathabane
David Geffen School of Drama productions are supported by the work of more than 200 faculty and staff members throughout the year.
Special Thanks
Sam Skynner, David DeCarolis
Assistant Stage Managers
Alexus Coney Charlie Lovejoy
Production Staff Production Manager
Cam Camden
Associate Safety Advisors
Annabel Guevara Eric Walker
Associate Production Manager
Aholibama Castañeda González
The Studio Series productions are designed to be learning experiences that complement classroom work, providing a medium for students at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale to combine their individual talents and energies toward the staging of collaboratively created works. Your attendance meaningfully completes this process. The director is a member of the Stage STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical laborand union. Choreographers Society, Directors a national theatrical labor union. The Director is a member of the
Assistant Technical Director
Sydney Garick
Projection Engineer
Dominick Pinto
Projection Programmer
John Horzen
Production Electrician
The stage manager is a member of Actors’ Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Alary Sutherland Run Crew
Abigail Douglas Jake Hurwitz Stefani Kuo Daniel Liu
Administration
THE BENJAMIN MORDECAI III PRODUCTION FUND, established by a graduate of the School, honors the memory of the Tony Award-winning producer who served as Managing Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, 1982–1993, and as Associate Dean and Chair of the Theater Management Program from 1993 until his death in 2005.
Associate Managing Director
Bodas de sangre/ Blood Wedding
Samanta Cubias House Manager
Madeline Carey
COVER PHOTO: Nefesh Cordero Pino and Patrick Falcón, photo by Hannah Tran, with the assistance of John Horzen, costumes by Travis Chinick.
Production Photographer
Leigh Busby
STUDIO SERIES PRODUCTIONS | 2021–22 SEASON
NOVEMBER 4–6, 2021 DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE James Bundy, Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean Florie Seery, Associate Dean Chantal Rodriguez, Associate Dean Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Assistant Dean
PRESENTS
Bodas de sangre/Blood Wedding adapted by Tatiana
Pandiani and Cynthia Santos DeCure based on Bodas de sangre by Federico García Lorca and Blood Wedding translated by Carmen Zapata and Michael Dewell directed by Tatiana Pandiani
Creative Team Composer and Sound Designer............................................................................................Evdoxia Ragkou Scenic Designer..................................................................................................... Marcelo Martínez García Costume Designer.......................................................................................................................Travis Chinick Lighting Designer...................................................................................................................... Graham Zellers Projection Designer....................................................................................................................... Hannah Tran Technical Director................................................................................................................................. Sky Pang Production Dramaturg............................................................................................................ Madeline Pages
An Interview with Co-Adaptors Tatiana Pandiani and Cynthia Santos DeCure interviewed and transcribed by Madeline
Pages | edited by Chantal Rodriguez
TATIANA PANDIANI: [What moves me about Bodas de sangre] is that the simplicity of the language carries underneath a real need for fullness and emotional depth. There’s nothing to hide: you can’t hide behind furniture or activity, so you have to be a full human being. That’s the kind of work I like to do, which I think is deeper and more profound. It’s huge, like a Greek tragedy. CYNTHIA SANTOS DeCURE: When I first read [the play] years ago, I felt the emotional weight, depth, and life of each of these characters needed to be embodied. To be able to voice it you have to be in touch with your own emotional life and allow that to grow to the level of what Lorca was creating. I read it in Spanish first, and I always [wondered] how translation could capture the true weight of it. Mi corazón como que se explotaba con tanta emoción [It was as if my heart would explode with so much emotion]. T: It leaves so much room for the actor. It’s not prescriptive text. Ten different actors would do ten different Mothers. The challenge is that the actor has to in go with una lupa [magnifying glass] and make these huge decisions. You have to ask, what is this to me? If you can’t answer that question, and you just do what the play tells you to do, something is missing.
Stage Manager..............................................................................................................Benjamin E. C. Pfister
C: It’s an opportunity for the actor to give themselves permission to be big. Contemporary language may not necessarily give you that avenue.
This production is supported by The Benjamin Mordecai III Production Fund.
T: From a directing point of view, the goal was to have the least amount of stuff and to direct in this uncluttered way to expose the humanity. I also wanted to wipe out of my head the ideas that many of us have because of the production history of the
play. It’s interesting that performed outside of Spain and maybe some places in Latin America, Lorca plays are exoticized in a way. In a lot of productions there is a performance of what [Lorca’s] culture means, and it feels like a wash that gets painted on top of the play. What if we just start from the actors that we’re working with now, as opposed to an idea of how Lorca is done or an idea of what rural Spain should be? C: Can we live in the language in a way that makes sense to the way we think, like codeswitching? Sometimes we think in English and we say something in Spanish, or vice versa. [I want] everyone involved in this production to come away with a greater understanding of what language can do to activate the imagination, and what Spanish can do for native speakers and non[-native speakers] to open up that weight of sound. [It’s important for an audience] to know that language is fluid and continues to change, and then interpretation needs to continue to be examined and maybe retranslated to update what we really mean. T: What I would say to an audience is, “Hello, this is a different universe. You are welcome here. Come in, step through the door and have your own experience, but don’t grab your own value system, your own measuring system, to figure out if this is plausible or not.” It’s just not a worthwhile pursuit. Theater can be really good at representing something that is so far away from us that by looking into the distance you find yourself. C: Listen with your heart because language transcends, but that visceral emotion—that transcends languages.
Una entrevista con adaptadoras Tatiana Pandiani y Cynthia Santos DeCure entrevistado y transcrito por Madeline
Pages | editado por Chantal Rodriguez
TATIANA PANDIANI: Lo qué más me emociona sobre Bodas de sangre es la sencillez del lenguaje que lleva por debajo una necesidad real de profundidad emocional. No hay donde esconderse: no puedes esconderte detrás de los muebles o acciones, así que es necesario vivir como un ser humano completo. Ese es el tipo de texto que más me gusta trabajar, así con profundidad. Casi tan enorme como una tragedia griega.
fuera de España y tal vez algunas partes de América Latina, sus obras son exotizadas de alguna manera. En muchas producciones hay una representación superficial de lo que significa la cultura [de Lorca], y se siente como un lavado pintado sobre la obra. ¿Y que si empezamos con los actores con los que estamos trabajando hoy, en vez de una idea de cómo se hace Lorca o una idea de lo que debe ser la España rural?
CYNTHIA SANTOS DeCURE: Cuando leí por primera vez la obra, hace muchos años, sentí que era necesario encarnar la amplitud y la vida emocional de cada de estos personajes. Para darle voz, uno tiene que estar conectado a su propia vida emocional y permitir que crezca al nivel de lo que Lorca estaba creando. Primero la leí en español, y siempre me pregunté, cómo una traducción podría capturar la capacidad verdadera de la obra. Mi corazón como que se explotaba con tanta emoción.
C: ¿Podemos vivir en el lenguaje de una manera que tenga sentido para nuestra forma de pensar, como cambia de código (‘code-switching’)? A veces pensamos en inglés y decimos algo en español, o viceversa. Quiero que todos los participantes en esta producción obtengan una comprensión más extensivo de lo que el lenguaje puede hacer para activar la imaginación, y lo qué puede hacer el español para abrir la fuerza del sonido para los hispanohablantes y los que no son hablantes nativos. Es importante que la audiencia sepa que el lenguaje es fluido y continúa cambiando, y luego es necesario examinar la interpretación y quizás traducirla de nuevo para actualizar lo que realmente queremos decir.
T: Deja mucho espacio para el actor. No es texto prescriptivo. Diez actores diferentes harían diez Madres diferentes. El reto es que el actor tiene que investigar el texto como con una lupa y tomar decisiones importantes. Tiene que preguntar, ¿qué significa esto para mí? Si no puede contestar esa pregunta, y solo hace lo que la obra indica, va a hacer falta algo. C: Es una oportunidad para que el actor se dé permiso para ser grande. El idioma contemporáneo no puede necesariamente darle esa avenida. T: Desde el punto de vista de la dirección, el objetivo fue tener la menor cantidad de elementos escénicos en el escenario y montar de una manera despejada para exponer la pura humanidad. También quería olvidarme de ideas prefabricadas que muchos solemos tener debido a la historia de producción de la obra. Muchas veces cuando Lorca se interpreta
T: Lo qué le diría a la audiencia es, “Hola, esto es un universo diferente. Sean bienvenidos aquí. Entren, pasen por el umbral y tengan su propia experiencia, pero no usen su propio sistema de valores, o su propio sistema métrico, para comprobar si esto es posible o no.” Ese trabajo intelectual no vale la pena. El teatro representa muy bien algo que, a pesar de estar tan lejos de nuestra experiencia, nos permite mirar a la distancia, y en esa misma distancia, encontrarnos a nosotros mismo. C: Escucha con tu corazón porque el lenguaje transciende, pero la emoción visceral—eso transciende los lenguajes.
Cast
alphabetical by first name El Novio (The Groom)...................................................................................................... Adam Siddiqui Shaukat La Criada (The Maid) ............................................................................................................................. Caro Riverita La Vecina (The Neighbor Woman)/Niña (Girl).............................................................. Giovanna Drummond La Suegra (Leonardo’s Mother-in-Law)/ La Luna (The Moon)............................. Jackeline Torres Cortés Muchacha (Girl)........................................................................................................................................Karen Killeen La Mujer de Leonardo (Leonardo’s Wife) ...............................................................................................Maia Novi Muchacho (Young Man).......................................................................................................................... Malik James Leñador (Woodcutter)/Muchacho (Young Man)............................................................................. Max Monnig Muchacho (Young Man)................................................................................................. Michael Allyn Crawford La Novia (The Bride)..............................................................................................................Nefesh Cordero Pino Leñador (Woodcutter)/Muchacho (Young Man)...........................................................................Nomè SiDone Leonardo................................................................................................................................................. Patrick Falcón Muchacha (Girl)..................................................................................................................................... Rebeca Robles Leñador (Woodcutter)/Muchacho (Young Man).....................................................................Samuel DeMuria El Padre de la Novia (The Father of the Bride)/ La Muerte como Mendigo (Death as a Beggar)............................................................................. Sola Fadiran Muchacho (Young Man)................................................................................................... Sufyan Safwon Farmer La Madre (The Mother of the Groom)..................................................................................................... Tyler Cruz
Yale University acknowledges that Indigenous peoples and nations, including Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and the Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples, have stewarded through generations the lands and waterways of what is now the state of Connecticut. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship that exists between these peoples and nations and this land.
Bodas de sangre/Blood Wedding is performed without an intermission. All patrons must wear masks at all times while inside the theater. Our staff, backstage crew, and artists (when not performing on stage) will also be masked at all times. The taking of photographs or the use of recording devices of any kind in the theater without the written permission of the management is prohibited.
SINOPSIS escrito por Madeline
Pages | editado por Chantal Rodriguez
Acto I
En la primera escena, el Novio y su Madre discuten el compromiso del Novio a una chica local que él ha cortejado por tres años. Ahora que ha comprado una viña, él está listo para casarse. A su Madre le preocupa que la muerte encuentre a su hijo, como sucedió con su hijo mayor y su esposo, quienes fueron asesinados a manos de la familia Félix. Luego, cuando el Novio sale a la viña y una Vecina llega, la Madre y la Vecina hablan de la prometida del Novio, la Novia, y su familia. La Vecina revela que la Novia tuvo una relación previa con Leonardo Félix. En la segunda escena, Leonardo llega a casa, donde su Mujer y la Suegra le interrogan sobre sus andanzas sobre el campo por caballo. La Mujer le cuenta sobre el compromiso entre el Novio y la Novia, quien es su prima. Llega una Niña para compartir noticias de los regalos que se han comprado para la propuesta oficial. En la tercera escena, la Madre y el Novio llegan a la casa de la Novia y el Padre de la Novia negocia los detalles de la boda. Después de que la Madre y el Novio se van, la Criada de la Novia le dice que Leonardo ha estado viniendo a la casa por la noche a caballo.
Acto II
En la primera escena, la Criada ayuda a la Novia a vestirse y preparase para la boda ese día, cuando Leonardo llega inesperadamente y confronta la Novia sobre la termina de su relación. De pronto, la gente del pueblo llegan cantando para llevar a la Novia a la iglesia. En la segunda escena, los invitados regresan a la casa de la Novia. La Novia está inquieta por los eventos del día. En el caos de la fiesta, la Novia y Leonardo desaparecen y es revelado que se han escapado juntos. El Novio y sus amigos los persiguen.
Entreacto Acto III
La primera escena, en un mundo forestal surrealisto, tres Leñadores discuten la caza del Novio para la Novia y Leonardo. La Luna aparece como una de dos heraldos de la muerte que señalan peligro para los amantes. Después, la Muerte personificado como un Mendigo, llega a guiar el Novio y sus compañeros a sus presas. En los momentos finales de la escena, la Novia y Leonardo aparecen, atrapados, sin poder regresar y sin esperanzas de escapar. Prometen que pase lo que pase, seguirán adelante juntos. En la escena final, las mujeres del pueblo lamentan las muertes violentas del Novio y Leonardo, y la Madre y la Novia finalmente se confrontan.
PLOT SYNOPSIS written by Madeline
Pages | edited by Chantal Rodriguez
Act I
In Scene 1, the Groom and his Mother discuss his engagement to a local girl he has been courting for three years. Now that he has bought a vineyard, he is ready for marriage. His Mother worries that death will find her son, as it did her older son and husband, who were murdered at the hands of the Félix family. Later, when the Groom goes out to the fields and a Neighbor arrives, the Mother and Neighbor discuss the Groom’s fiancée, the Bride, and her family. The Neighbor reveals that the Bride had a previous relationship with Leonardo Félix. In Scene 2, Leonardo comes home to his Wife, Mother-in-Law, and infant son, who interrogate him about his wanderings around the town on his horse. Leonardo’s Wife tells him about the engagement between the Groom and the Bride, who is her cousin, and a little Girl arrives to share news of the presents that have been purchased for the official proposal. In Scene 3, Mother and Groom arrive at the Bride’s house and the Bride’s Father negotiates the details of the wedding. After Mother and Groom leave, the Bride’s Maid reveals that Leonardo has been riding to the house at night.
Act II
In Scene 1, the Maid helps the Bride dress and prepare for the wedding that day when Leonardo unexpectedly arrives and confronts the Bride about the end of their relationship. The townspeople soon arrive, singing, to bring the Bride to the church. In Scene 2, the wedding party continues at the Bride’s home. The Bride is uneasy about the events of the day. In the crush of the partying, the Bride and Leonardo disappear, and it is revealed that they have run off together. The Groom and his friends go after them.
Intermission Act III
In Scene 1, in a surrealist forest world, three Woodcutters discuss the Groom’s hunt for the Bride and Leonardo. The Moon appears as one of two harbingers of death, signaling danger for the lovers. Then Death, personified as a Beggar, arrives to lead the Groom and his fellows to their prey. In the final moments of the scene, the Bride and Leonardo appear, trapped, unable to go back now but without hope of getting away. They promise that whatever happens, they will go forward together. In the final scene, the women of the town mourn the violent deaths of the Groom and Leonardo, and the Mother finally confronts the Bride.
SINOPSIS escrito por Madeline
Pages | editado por Chantal Rodriguez
Acto I
En la primera escena, el Novio y su Madre discuten el compromiso del Novio a una chica local que él ha cortejado por tres años. Ahora que ha comprado una viña, él está listo para casarse. A su Madre le preocupa que la muerte encuentre a su hijo, como sucedió con su hijo mayor y su esposo, quienes fueron asesinados a manos de la familia Félix. Luego, cuando el Novio sale a la viña y una Vecina llega, la Madre y la Vecina hablan de la prometida del Novio, la Novia, y su familia. La Vecina revela que la Novia tuvo una relación previa con Leonardo Félix. En la segunda escena, Leonardo llega a casa, donde su Mujer y la Suegra le interrogan sobre sus andanzas sobre el campo por caballo. La Mujer le cuenta sobre el compromiso entre el Novio y la Novia, quien es su prima. Llega una Niña para compartir noticias de los regalos que se han comprado para la propuesta oficial. En la tercera escena, la Madre y el Novio llegan a la casa de la Novia y el Padre de la Novia negocia los detalles de la boda. Después de que la Madre y el Novio se van, la Criada de la Novia le dice que Leonardo ha estado viniendo a la casa por la noche a caballo.
Acto II
En la primera escena, la Criada ayuda a la Novia a vestirse y preparase para la boda ese día, cuando Leonardo llega inesperadamente y confronta la Novia sobre la termina de su relación. De pronto, la gente del pueblo llegan cantando para llevar a la Novia a la iglesia. En la segunda escena, los invitados regresan a la casa de la Novia. La Novia está inquieta por los eventos del día. En el caos de la fiesta, la Novia y Leonardo desaparecen y es revelado que se han escapado juntos. El Novio y sus amigos los persiguen.
Entreacto Acto III
La primera escena, en un mundo forestal surrealisto, tres Leñadores discuten la caza del Novio para la Novia y Leonardo. La Luna aparece como una de dos heraldos de la muerte que señalan peligro para los amantes. Después, la Muerte personificado como un Mendigo, llega a guiar el Novio y sus compañeros a sus presas. En los momentos finales de la escena, la Novia y Leonardo aparecen, atrapados, sin poder regresar y sin esperanzas de escapar. Prometen que pase lo que pase, seguirán adelante juntos. En la escena final, las mujeres del pueblo lamentan las muertes violentas del Novio y Leonardo, y la Madre y la Novia finalmente se confrontan.
PLOT SYNOPSIS written by Madeline
Pages | edited by Chantal Rodriguez
Act I
In Scene 1, the Groom and his Mother discuss his engagement to a local girl he has been courting for three years. Now that he has bought a vineyard, he is ready for marriage. His Mother worries that death will find her son, as it did her older son and husband, who were murdered at the hands of the Félix family. Later, when the Groom goes out to the fields and a Neighbor arrives, the Mother and Neighbor discuss the Groom’s fiancée, the Bride, and her family. The Neighbor reveals that the Bride had a previous relationship with Leonardo Félix. In Scene 2, Leonardo comes home to his Wife, Mother-in-Law, and infant son, who interrogate him about his wanderings around the town on his horse. Leonardo’s Wife tells him about the engagement between the Groom and the Bride, who is her cousin, and a little Girl arrives to share news of the presents that have been purchased for the official proposal. In Scene 3, Mother and Groom arrive at the Bride’s house and the Bride’s Father negotiates the details of the wedding. After Mother and Groom leave, the Bride’s Maid reveals that Leonardo has been riding to the house at night.
Act II
In Scene 1, the Maid helps the Bride dress and prepare for the wedding that day when Leonardo unexpectedly arrives and confronts the Bride about the end of their relationship. The townspeople soon arrive, singing, to bring the Bride to the church. In Scene 2, the wedding party continues at the Bride’s home. The Bride is uneasy about the events of the day. In the crush of the partying, the Bride and Leonardo disappear, and it is revealed that they have run off together. The Groom and his friends go after them.
Intermission Act III
In Scene 1, in a surrealist forest world, three Woodcutters discuss the Groom’s hunt for the Bride and Leonardo. The Moon appears as one of two harbingers of death, signaling danger for the lovers. Then Death, personified as a Beggar, arrives to lead the Groom and his fellows to their prey. In the final moments of the scene, the Bride and Leonardo appear, trapped, unable to go back now but without hope of getting away. They promise that whatever happens, they will go forward together. In the final scene, the women of the town mourn the violent deaths of the Groom and Leonardo, and the Mother finally confronts the Bride.
Una entrevista con adaptadoras Tatiana Pandiani y Cynthia Santos DeCure entrevistado y transcrito por Madeline
Pages | editado por Chantal Rodriguez
TATIANA PANDIANI: Lo qué más me emociona sobre Bodas de sangre es la sencillez del lenguaje que lleva por debajo una necesidad real de profundidad emocional. No hay donde esconderse: no puedes esconderte detrás de los muebles o acciones, así que es necesario vivir como un ser humano completo. Ese es el tipo de texto que más me gusta trabajar, así con profundidad. Casi tan enorme como una tragedia griega.
fuera de España y tal vez algunas partes de América Latina, sus obras son exotizadas de alguna manera. En muchas producciones hay una representación superficial de lo que significa la cultura [de Lorca], y se siente como un lavado pintado sobre la obra. ¿Y que si empezamos con los actores con los que estamos trabajando hoy, en vez de una idea de cómo se hace Lorca o una idea de lo que debe ser la España rural?
CYNTHIA SANTOS DeCURE: Cuando leí por primera vez la obra, hace muchos años, sentí que era necesario encarnar la amplitud y la vida emocional de cada de estos personajes. Para darle voz, uno tiene que estar conectado a su propia vida emocional y permitir que crezca al nivel de lo que Lorca estaba creando. Primero la leí en español, y siempre me pregunté, cómo una traducción podría capturar la capacidad verdadera de la obra. Mi corazón como que se explotaba con tanta emoción.
C: ¿Podemos vivir en el lenguaje de una manera que tenga sentido para nuestra forma de pensar, como cambia de código (‘code-switching’)? A veces pensamos en inglés y decimos algo en español, o viceversa. Quiero que todos los participantes en esta producción obtengan una comprensión más extensivo de lo que el lenguaje puede hacer para activar la imaginación, y lo qué puede hacer el español para abrir la fuerza del sonido para los hispanohablantes y los que no son hablantes nativos. Es importante que la audiencia sepa que el lenguaje es fluido y continúa cambiando, y luego es necesario examinar la interpretación y quizás traducirla de nuevo para actualizar lo que realmente queremos decir.
T: Deja mucho espacio para el actor. No es texto prescriptivo. Diez actores diferentes harían diez Madres diferentes. El reto es que el actor tiene que investigar el texto como con una lupa y tomar decisiones importantes. Tiene que preguntar, ¿qué significa esto para mí? Si no puede contestar esa pregunta, y solo hace lo que la obra indica, va a hacer falta algo. C: Es una oportunidad para que el actor se dé permiso para ser grande. El idioma contemporáneo no puede necesariamente darle esa avenida. T: Desde el punto de vista de la dirección, el objetivo fue tener la menor cantidad de elementos escénicos en el escenario y montar de una manera despejada para exponer la pura humanidad. También quería olvidarme de ideas prefabricadas que muchos solemos tener debido a la historia de producción de la obra. Muchas veces cuando Lorca se interpreta
T: Lo qué le diría a la audiencia es, “Hola, esto es un universo diferente. Sean bienvenidos aquí. Entren, pasen por el umbral y tengan su propia experiencia, pero no usen su propio sistema de valores, o su propio sistema métrico, para comprobar si esto es posible o no.” Ese trabajo intelectual no vale la pena. El teatro representa muy bien algo que, a pesar de estar tan lejos de nuestra experiencia, nos permite mirar a la distancia, y en esa misma distancia, encontrarnos a nosotros mismo. C: Escucha con tu corazón porque el lenguaje transciende, pero la emoción visceral—eso transciende los lenguajes.
Cast
alphabetical by first name El Novio (The Groom)...................................................................................................... Adam Siddiqui Shaukat La Criada (The Maid) ............................................................................................................................. Caro Riverita La Vecina (The Neighbor Woman)/Niña (Girl).............................................................. Giovanna Drummond La Suegra (Leonardo’s Mother-in-Law)/ La Luna (The Moon)............................. Jackeline Torres Cortés Muchacha (Girl)........................................................................................................................................Karen Killeen La Mujer de Leonardo (Leonardo’s Wife) ...............................................................................................Maia Novi Muchacho (Young Man).......................................................................................................................... Malik James Leñador (Woodcutter)/Muchacho (Young Man)............................................................................. Max Monnig Muchacho (Young Man)................................................................................................. Michael Allyn Crawford La Novia (The Bride)..............................................................................................................Nefesh Cordero Pino Leñador (Woodcutter)/Muchacho (Young Man)...........................................................................Nomè SiDone Leonardo................................................................................................................................................. Patrick Falcón Muchacha (Girl)..................................................................................................................................... Rebeca Robles Leñador (Woodcutter)/Muchacho (Young Man).....................................................................Samuel DeMuria El Padre de la Novia (The Father of the Bride)/ La Muerte como Mendigo (Death as a Beggar)............................................................................. Sola Fadiran Muchacho (Young Man)................................................................................................... Sufyan Safwon Farmer La Madre (The Mother of the Groom)..................................................................................................... Tyler Cruz
Yale University acknowledges that Indigenous peoples and nations, including Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and the Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples, have stewarded through generations the lands and waterways of what is now the state of Connecticut. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship that exists between these peoples and nations and this land.
Bodas de sangre/Blood Wedding is performed without an intermission. All patrons must wear masks at all times while inside the theater. Our staff, backstage crew, and artists (when not performing on stage) will also be masked at all times. The taking of photographs or the use of recording devices of any kind in the theater without the written permission of the management is prohibited.
NOVEMBER 4–6, 2021 DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE James Bundy, Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean Florie Seery, Associate Dean Chantal Rodriguez, Associate Dean Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Assistant Dean
PRESENTS
Bodas de sangre/Blood Wedding adapted by Tatiana
Pandiani and Cynthia Santos DeCure based on Bodas de sangre by Federico García Lorca and Blood Wedding translated by Carmen Zapata and Michael Dewell directed by Tatiana Pandiani
Creative Team Composer and Sound Designer............................................................................................Evdoxia Ragkou Scenic Designer..................................................................................................... Marcelo Martínez García Costume Designer.......................................................................................................................Travis Chinick Lighting Designer...................................................................................................................... Graham Zellers Projection Designer....................................................................................................................... Hannah Tran Technical Director................................................................................................................................. Sky Pang Production Dramaturg............................................................................................................ Madeline Pages
An Interview with Co-Adaptors Tatiana Pandiani and Cynthia Santos DeCure interviewed and transcribed by Madeline
Pages | edited by Chantal Rodriguez
TATIANA PANDIANI: [What moves me about Bodas de sangre] is that the simplicity of the language carries underneath a real need for fullness and emotional depth. There’s nothing to hide: you can’t hide behind furniture or activity, so you have to be a full human being. That’s the kind of work I like to do, which I think is deeper and more profound. It’s huge, like a Greek tragedy. CYNTHIA SANTOS DeCURE: When I first read [the play] years ago, I felt the emotional weight, depth, and life of each of these characters needed to be embodied. To be able to voice it you have to be in touch with your own emotional life and allow that to grow to the level of what Lorca was creating. I read it in Spanish first, and I always [wondered] how translation could capture the true weight of it. Mi corazón como que se explotaba con tanta emoción [It was as if my heart would explode with so much emotion]. T: It leaves so much room for the actor. It’s not prescriptive text. Ten different actors would do ten different Mothers. The challenge is that the actor has to in go with una lupa [magnifying glass] and make these huge decisions. You have to ask, what is this to me? If you can’t answer that question, and you just do what the play tells you to do, something is missing.
Stage Manager..............................................................................................................Benjamin E. C. Pfister
C: It’s an opportunity for the actor to give themselves permission to be big. Contemporary language may not necessarily give you that avenue.
This production is supported by The Benjamin Mordecai III Production Fund.
T: From a directing point of view, the goal was to have the least amount of stuff and to direct in this uncluttered way to expose the humanity. I also wanted to wipe out of my head the ideas that many of us have because of the production history of the
play. It’s interesting that performed outside of Spain and maybe some places in Latin America, Lorca plays are exoticized in a way. In a lot of productions there is a performance of what [Lorca’s] culture means, and it feels like a wash that gets painted on top of the play. What if we just start from the actors that we’re working with now, as opposed to an idea of how Lorca is done or an idea of what rural Spain should be? C: Can we live in the language in a way that makes sense to the way we think, like codeswitching? Sometimes we think in English and we say something in Spanish, or vice versa. [I want] everyone involved in this production to come away with a greater understanding of what language can do to activate the imagination, and what Spanish can do for native speakers and non[-native speakers] to open up that weight of sound. [It’s important for an audience] to know that language is fluid and continues to change, and then interpretation needs to continue to be examined and maybe retranslated to update what we really mean. T: What I would say to an audience is, “Hello, this is a different universe. You are welcome here. Come in, step through the door and have your own experience, but don’t grab your own value system, your own measuring system, to figure out if this is plausible or not.” It’s just not a worthwhile pursuit. Theater can be really good at representing something that is so far away from us that by looking into the distance you find yourself. C: Listen with your heart because language transcends, but that visceral emotion—that transcends languages.
Artistic Staff Assistant Scenic Designer
Lia Tubiana
Assistant Costume Designer
Kiyoshi Shaw
Assistant Sound Designer/Engineer
Stan Mathabane
David Geffen School of Drama productions are supported by the work of more than 200 faculty and staff members throughout the year.
Special Thanks
Sam Skynner, David DeCarolis
Assistant Stage Managers
Alexus Coney Charlie Lovejoy
Production Staff Production Manager
Cam Camden
Associate Safety Advisors
Annabel Guevara Eric Walker
Associate Production Manager
Aholibama Castañeda González
The Studio Series productions are designed to be learning experiences that complement classroom work, providing a medium for students at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale to combine their individual talents and energies toward the staging of collaboratively created works. Your attendance meaningfully completes this process. The director is a member of the Stage STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical laborand union. Choreographers Society, Directors a national theatrical labor union. The Director is a member of the
Assistant Technical Director
Sydney Garick
Projection Engineer
Dominick Pinto
Projection Programmer
John Horzen
Production Electrician
The stage manager is a member of Actors’ Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Alary Sutherland Run Crew
Abigail Douglas Jake Hurwitz Stefani Kuo Daniel Liu
Administration
THE BENJAMIN MORDECAI III PRODUCTION FUND, established by a graduate of the School, honors the memory of the Tony Award-winning producer who served as Managing Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, 1982–1993, and as Associate Dean and Chair of the Theater Management Program from 1993 until his death in 2005.
Associate Managing Director
Bodas de sangre/ Blood Wedding
Samanta Cubias House Manager
Madeline Carey
COVER PHOTO: Nefesh Cordero Pino and Patrick Falcón, photo by Hannah Tran, with the assistance of John Horzen, costumes by Travis Chinick.
Production Photographer
Leigh Busby
STUDIO SERIES PRODUCTIONS | 2021–22 SEASON