Director Tod Sebens insists that he didn’t choose the material for his latest production as much as it chose him.
Sebens stumbled across “The House of Bernarda Alba” in a collection of plays he picked up from a second-hand store in Gustavus this past summer. “After I read it I had some doubts because it was a big cast, but I think what saved me is knowing there are a lot of women in this town who like to get up on stage,” he said.
The play by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca features 19 female characters living in 1930s rural Spain. Its titular character is 60-year-old matriarch Bernarda Alba, a domineering widow fixated on preserving her family’s reputation and controlling the lives of her five daughters.
Judith McDermaid, veteran of the Chilkat Center stage, portrays Bernarda, who has just imposed a traditional eight-year mourning period on her household following the death of her second husband. Severe and stoic, McDermaid said Bernarda’s austerity is her way of preparing her daughters for society’s expectations of women.
“As strict and mean as I appear, it’s because I love them and I want the best for them,” McDermaid said. “I know what they are looking toward. I know what’s coming, and I want them to be ready.”
McDermaid said she drew inspiration and understanding of her character from her own mother. “She had a certain image that she had to maintain. She was the wife of a businessman. She had to dress properly when she left the house.”
Cheryl Mullins plays Bernarda’s eldest daughter, Angustias. Angustias, 39, was the product of Bernarda’s first marriage, and she has just inherited a hefty sum following her father’s death. That inheritance is the source of envy for her four half-sisters, as is the fact that she is betrothed to Pepe el Romano, who never appears on stage.
Mullins said her character is hopeful the marriage represents a long-awaited escape from the authoritarianism of her mother, but that Angustias ultimately realizes she is just exchanging one dictator for another.
One of the play’s major themes is control: Bernarda’s control of her daughters, but also Spanish society’s control of women and their place in it. “There’s some humor in (the play), but mostly it’s about the times: how women were thought of, how they were treated,” Mullins said.
The humorous parts belong to Carol Tuynman, who plays Bernarda’s semi-demented mother Maria Josepha, and Lorrie Dudzik, cast as Poncia, Bernarda’s chief maid.
Poncia, 60, has worked as Bernarda’s servant for 30 years. Though she desires to be treated as Bernarda’s friend and confidante, Poncia is constantly reminded of her place in the rigid caste system.
“I aspire to be her friend, but as far as she’s concerned, I’m a servant, nothing else,” Dudzik said.
Like all of the characters in the play, Poncia is multifaceted, Dudzik said. She likes to tell stories and make the girls laugh, but she also is a harbinger of disaster, warning Bernarda about the consequences of the suffocating environment she is perpetuating.
Dudzik said she will consider the play a success if audience members leave the theater not thinking, “Wow, what a bunch of mean, spiteful shrews,” but instead see through to the deeper sense of desperation, sadness and isolation the women feel.
Bernarda Alba’s other daughters are Magdalena (Madeline Witek), Amelia (Jillian Rogers), Martirio (Ela Sokolowska) and Adela (Gina Randles).
This will be Rogers’ first foray into local theater. She said the role of Amelia – a gossipy, ditzy 27-year-old – is challenging, mostly because of her lack of lines. So, how to convey Amelia’s personality despite her scant dialogue?
“I did some reading about the character, but am still working on subtle, non-verbal actions and reactions that will let the audience know what she’s all about,” Rogers said. “Luckily, there are so many experienced and talented people involved with this production. They are quick to offer tips and tricks of the trade.”
Another issue is learning to cry on command. “Tiny pinches on the arm aren’t working, so I was told to channel something painful in my life to provoke the sobbing,” Rogers said.
Director Sebens said “The House of Bernarda Alba” drew him in for several reasons, including Lorca’s poetic style and use of symbolism. The work’s heavy themes – oppression of women, class prejudice, tradition, tragedy, beauty – also attracted him to the play.
“This is not just some make-believe thing,” he said. “This is based on fact and how women were expected to behave and how they were treated in Spain in the mid-1930s. They were expected to mourn for eight years when the father of the household died, not go out, not do anything. Just stay home and embroider.”
Sebens said the play isn’t for children, not because of any explicit content but because of its more cerebral nature. “It’s kid-friendly, but kid-boring,” he said.
Other cast members are Pam Randles (Prudencia), Amanda Randles (First Servant), Chloe Goodson (Beggar Woman), Matilda Rogers (Beggar Woman’s Child) and Helen Alten, Margaret Sebens, Aurora Alten-Huber, Bozhi Sebens, Annette Smith, Cherri Price and Suzanne Newton as Women in Mourning.
The cast has been rehearsing for four days a week since early January and is ramping up rehearsals to prepare for opening night on Feb. 12.
The play, which is presented by Lynn Canal Community Players, will run at 7 p.m. on Feb. 12-13, and noon on Feb. 14.