After putting on Harvest Moon in the fall, the theater arts department looked to follow up their success with a Spring play. Theater Arts teacher Veronica Pulido decided to do La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca, which features an all female cast.

Although they’ve showcased this play before, Pulido felt it is an important play for the community to experience. “We were looking to have a Spanish speaking play, something that the Latino community could connect with, something to relate to,” she said. “It’s an amazing way to speak our native language and find actors who are comfortable enough to speak the language.”

Amelia, played by senior Daniela Lopez Castro, is Bernarda’s third daughter. Castro plays a 27-year old characterized as quiet, complying, and conventional. Her character is considered a complete opposite to her rebellious and challenging sisters. 

This being her first role in a production, she’s found many interesting and challenging aspects that may go unnoticed. “We get to try out different ways of portraying the characters, and since it’s a very long play, it’s difficult to solidify some of the more challenging scenes,” Castro said. “But, it’s really fun to get to try out different ways of portraying the characters and collaborate with everyone.”

La Poncia, played by senior Milagros Santiago, is a 60-year-old housekeeper and maid who manages to be the only one in the household to speak her truths to Bernarda. 

Although she’s worked for Bernarda for 30 years, she detests her. She’s seen as the keeper of secrets and intermediary in the relations between Bernarda and her daughters. 

This is Santiago’s first year as part of the cast. “It’s been significantly challenging to memorize my lines since La Ponica has a lot of dialogue,” she said. 

Despite that, Santiago has learned many things about herself. “I’ve learned that I’m capable of doing this, even though it takes a lot of time to memorize, I’ve made the time to put this all together,” she said. 

This theatrical composition is also made up of multiple experienced actors such as Valerie Rodriguez who’s been part of the productions for three consecutive years. This year specifically was a challenge. Being in her senior year of high school and with multiple other responsibilities, being part of this production was certainly a challenge. “Although my schedules don’t align with the times we had rehearsals, I liked being able to step out of my comfort zone,” Rodriguez said. 

Martirio is the 24-year-old fourth daughter of Bernarda Alba. She can be seen as a jealous and anxious individual. She’s seen to work against her sisters and prevent them from finding love. Although Rodrguez has been challenged by time constraints, she’s also been able to learn a lot about herself and build connections with her crew members. “I’ve been able to meet new people and make friendships with people I’ve gotten to know very well,” she said. 

Magdalena, played by senior Jay Cardenas, is Bernada’s 30-year-old daughter from her second marriage.  Cardenas worked as part of the crew in last semester’s play, Harvest Moon. “I’ve definitely learned to be more expressive and to realize how fun it is to be on and off stage,” they said. 

Magdalena is seen as rebellious and resistant to her mother’s authority. Every daughter and house keeper portrays a completely different character and position towards Bernarda. Even then, this distinction adds to the irony and climax of the play. “Even though we’re all so different, we get to participate and show the group dynamics to put together an amazing production,” Cardenas said. 

Angustias is Bernarda Alba’s 39 year old daughter. She is the only daughter from her first marriage. Her name is symbolic in this play, representing the “anguish” and misery she feels. She is to be engaged with Pepe el Romano who is interested in her wealth and not her love. 

Through her role, Juliana Talavera has discovered many interesting qualities about herself and about the production itself. Being part of the play hasn’t been a simple task, it’s required sufficient effort and consistency to produce the best results. “I did have lots of pressure on me, having to memorize all my lines,” Talavera said. “But I see it as a great way to express myself and portray the different social dynamics this plot involves so it’s also been fun since you get to add a little bit of yourself to the character.”

Geneva Bañuelos is in charge of playing Maria Josefa, Bernarda Alba’s 80 year old mother. She can be seen as the oppressed, yet rebellious, perspective of the play. “I really like my character because everyone has a more literal role while Maria Josefa is a more metaphoric character of what everyone is going through,” Bañuelos said. 

Bernarda Alba, played by Nadine Garcia is the main character of the play. She can be seen as an extreme, tyrannical, and oppressive woman obsessed with classism. Her role represents the regression and traditional roles of the Spanish 1900s. This being her third time participating, Nadine Garcia knows of the twists and turns of the entire process. “I’ve really enjoyed being able to work with many other students and build a small community,” Garcia said. “Even though it’s been challenging to manage my time with rehearsal, homework, and other school activities because we do stay till pretty late.”

Ramon Quiroz is the director for this year’s play but he’s not indifferent to the subject. He’s been involved in theater for over a decade and has gained many valuable experiences through his career. He’s also been a part of theatrical productions, film making, acting, and even producing short films. 

Throughout the process of running auditions, rehearsing, and putting the play together, he shared that  the most difficult part of this entire process was having to replace actors who dropped out of the play when the roles had already been set. This forced Pulido and her crew to search for new actors who were willing to commit to their part. 

Even then, Quiroz believed it was immensely important to keep a positive attitude and carry the message correctly. “It’s been both learning and growth,” he said. “It’s been fascinating and also very rewarding to see students grow into their role and find their voice or character through the entire process. Even though the play portrays a very classist, tyrannical story, it’s also a portrayal of the reality many were forced to endure.” 

Overall, the play was a success. These young actors managed to voice their talent while discovering multiple assets in their lives and creating long-lasting friendships. “I had multiple individual parts, which I kind of liked because the attention was on me,” senior Milagros Santiago said. Through the many rehearsals, Santiago managed to gain sufficient confidence to perform her best while still enjoying it. 

The lead role, Bernarda Alba, played by Nadine Garcia portrayed all the necessary elements to tie the entire play together. “I discovered that my abilities as an actor are much higher than what I anticipated,” Garcia said. “Maybe some people thought it was a little strange because last semester we had a more cheerful play compared to this semester’s which was very serious but overall I hope everyone enjoyed it.”

This play can also be seen as an inspiration for those who watch it. “It’s important to voice your identity, to be true to who you are,” Quiroz said. “It tells a tale about silencing women and keeping them in their place so it’s very important that they’re not silenced any longer, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.”