Blood Wedding- an environmental experience

Photo credit: Jesca Cluff

 

Frederico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding is a level of theater that is rarely presented at Utah Valley University.

The Spanish tragedy is one of a young woman being torn by two very different arms of love. Her actions condone her community and are being guided by the vengeful figures of the Moon and Death.

This presentation of Lorca’s work represents just how masterfully he can speak to an audience’s core.

You are immediately immersed in the world of the play as you walk through the doors into the Noorda Theater lobby. It was a brilliant extension of the themes of the production when director Lisa Hagen staged the lobby to match the stage.

There were cast members wandering around and performing wedding prep activities, the ushers inquiring if you were there for the bride or the groom, a wedding log book for the audience members to sign, and vinyl record of 1930s smooth jazz playing in the background.

This sensation of being a part of the production continued as the audience was seated in wooden dining chairs in a circle around a stage of real dirt. The cast performed all around you; running around the perimeter of the room, picking up and using candles and furniture that had been staged behind you, and playing on three swings that are suspended from the rafters.

“This production is an environmental experience which allows the audience to be involved without being forced, engaged without being vulnerable. The dirt floor, flowers, swings, and forest invite you into the experience,” said Mother-in-Law and Dramaturg for the production about the untraditional approach,

The highlight of the play came in the climax when Angela Nibley, Mother, and Riley Branning, Bride, masterfully portrayed the raw human emotions that burst forth at the end. The ladies balanced beautifully on the line of reality and dramatization, making the scene both enticing to watch and perfectly believable.

This is a rare and must see UVU Theater event. The production continues through October 11th.