TEHRAN – An Iranian troupe is performing Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1945 play “The House of Bernarda Alba” at Tehran’s Erfan Hall.

Arash Amiri is the director of the play, which is part of Garcia Lorca’s rural trilogy along with “Blood Wedding” and “Yerma”.

The play tells the story of an elderly woman, Bernarda, whose husband has just died, and she asks her five daughters to go through an eight-year mourning period according to her family’s tradition.

The play explores themes of repression, passion, and conformity, and inspects the effects of men upon women. Bernarda’s cruel tyranny over her daughters foreshadows the stifling nature of Franco’s fascist regime, which was to arrive just a few weeks after Lorca finished writing his play.

Marjan Amirirad, Nilufar Davari, Avishan Sedqi, Sonia Mabudi, and Sogand Sadeqi are the main members of the cast for the play, which will be on stage until December 16.

“The House of Bernarda Alba” has frequently been performed by Iranian troupes. Prominent Iranian director Ali Rafiei directed performances of the play based on Shamlu’s translation at Vahdat Hall in Tehran in December 2018 and January 2019.   

Photo: A scene from “The House of Bernarda Alba” by Arash Amiri

ABU/MG