The Real Daughters of Bernarda Alba
A strong woman is a determined one. The concept of the production of “Bernarda Alba” by the UCF Theatre really followed this in depth. The performance followed the story of five sisters and their mother, as they struggle to submit to society’s expectations of what a woman should and should not be. The production of Bernarda Alba was a powerful one that utilized good acting, beautiful designs, and a good technical crew to put on a performance that contained a deeper meaning.
The relationship of the characters was well developed, you saw that Bernarda was a caring but stern mother who insisted that her daughters do what was in her eyes the right thing. She had a relationship with each of them that you were…show more content… It helped to set the mood several times. The performance utilized each of the four controllable qualities: intensity, distribution, color, and movement. The intensity of light on one character over others allowed the audience to focus their attention on that character only. The distribution of lighting was well used, there were lights all around the theater that alternated in use to provide different effects and distribute light evenly. The color of lighting created dramatic shifts in the mood despite nothing in the scenery changing at all. Red was used to symbolize dramatic events, such as when Adela had sexual intercourse with Pepe. Blue was used to symbolize sadness, such as when Bernarda’s husband died or when Maria Josefa, Bernarda’s senile mother, is locked up in here room. Lastly, they used movement when they made the spotlight follow a moving character across to stage. This also helped the audience to focus our attention and get that character’s ideas…show more content… The blocking of the actors on stage was excellent, there were no mishaps or awkward movements. The transitions were handled good because scenes did not really change out that much, the only set prop that moved around were the chairs in the room that consistently stayed in the room only moving to fulfill new a purpose. The hand props they used included quilts that they were making which the then were able to use in transitioning into dance. The Choreography of the play was beautiful. The actors’ movements and singing helped to support the characters attitudes. For example, Martirio was groggy and rough in her dancing to symbolize her ugliness and how she hated her life. The music to which they sang and danced matched the time and it made sense in dramatic scenes. The happier scenes reflected a happier upbeat mood and reinforced the actions of the performers. Each character sang well and were well cast in their