Point Park University's Pittsburgh Playhouse Presents A Quest For Love In THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA

Point Park University's Conservatory Theatre Company presents The House of Bernarda Alba, Federico García Lorca's admired and passionate play about a family's tragedy, love, and oppression brought to life by the talented students of the Conservatory.

Directed by Monica Payne, The House of Bernarda Alba runs from February 23 - 25, 2018, and March 8 - 11, 2018, in the Rauh Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Adult tickets are $20-24, students and seniors are $10, and can be purchased by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-392-8000 or visiting www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.

After the death of her husband, matriarch Bernarda Alba imposes a traditional eight-year mourning period over her home. With five single daughters, between the ages of 20 and 39, her controlling nature poses quite a problem. Especially when the town's handsome lothario, the subject of all of the women's affections, Pepe el Romano, pays a visit to the oldest daughter, promising an evening of turmoil for the family. The last play written by Federico García Lorca before his death, examines jealousy, love and the effects of men upon women.

"In both the design phase and in the rehearsal room, we are unearthing what is universal and relevant about The House of Bernarda Alba," said Payne. "There are 21 actresses in the cast, and together, we have been engaged in an exploration of the silencing of women's voices and impulses, in both a historical and contemporary context. My hope is that we can take Bernarda Alba beyond a 'photographic documentary' and move it toward a timeless, hallucinatory, dreamscape version of the play that is informed by 1930's Spain, but also extends beyond it."

This production features scenic design by Stephanie Mayer-Staley, costume design by Cathleen Crocker-Perry, lighting design by Cat Wilson, and sound design by Steve Shapiro.

Monica is a freelance director and the founder of Theatre Lumina, a company devoted to cross-cultural collaboration and international exchange. She recently devised and directed the Jeff-recommended Into the Empty Sky at Trap Door Theatre in Chicago, where she is a Resident Director. She also recently co-directed a workshop production of Camino Real by Tennessee Williams for CSU Summer Arts/Steppenwolf Classes West. She spent much of 2015/16 working on Trash Story, an award-winning Polish play by Magda Fertacz. She directed full productions in both New York (Kulture+ Productions/Adam Mickiewicz Institute) and Los Angeles (UCLA TFT), as well as a staged reading for the International Voices Project in Chicago. Other projects include a critically acclaimed production of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye for the Pittsburgh Playhouse; Our Country's Good for UCLA; Ploughman from Bohemia for Theatre Lumina; Racine's Phedre for Point Park University; Euripides' Hecuba and Mark Twain's Huck Finn for the Pittsburgh Playhouse. She has also directed three music videos for singer/songwriter Kaitlin Huwe. She is a member of the 2008 Lincoln Center Director's Lab in New York, as well as the 2012 Director's Lab West in LA. Payne has been a Meisner teacher for almost 20 years, and has taught workshops across the country and internationally. She holds an M.F.A. in Directing from UCLA.

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