Cervantes Theatre trip

A group of students of A Level Spanish had the rare opportunity to watch in London a Spanish masterpiece in the original language, the acclaimed “House of Bernarda Alba”, one of the required readings for the class. The language and literary skills of our students were challenged by this powerful drama. 

The House of Bernarda Alba explores themes of repression, passion and conformity through the depiction of a matriarch’s domination of her five daughters. Described by the author as “a drama of women in the villages of Spain”, the deliberate exclusion of any male character from the action helps build the high level of sexual tension that is present throughout this masterpiece.

Written in 1936 just before the civil war broke out, the play was first performed in Buenos Aires in 1945. It was banned in Spain until 1963, partly because of its political implications and partly because the behaviour and language of the characters was regarded as shockingly immoral. A small theatre club was allowed to put on a single performance in 1950, but the regime tried to ensure that it would be given no publicity.

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) , poet and dramatist, was one of the greatest Spanish writers of the 20th century. He was killed by francoist troops at the age of thirty-eight at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and two months after completing The House of Bernarda Alba.

Find the right course for you:
CTK Aquinas
Sprules Road
Brockley
London SE4 2NL
020 7358 2400
aquinas@ctksfc.ac.uk
Christ The King Sixth Forms