Graeae Adds THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA To Its Digital Output

Graeae Theatre Company has announced that it has added the archive recording of its co-production of Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba, to its burgeoning digital offering, to sit alongside its production of Reasons To Be Cheerful and the digital series Crips Without Constraints. This comes ahead of a major new initiative designed to boost the careers of Deaf and disabled artists which is due to be announced in the next few weeks.

The House of Bernarda Alba, which is co-produced by Royal Exchange Theatre, runs free-to-view on YouTube until Monday 13th July. The production directed by Graeae artistic director, Jenny Sealey with Kathryn Hunter leading an all-female Deaf and disabled cast, received rave reviews when it was staged in 2017. A bold exploration of female identity, sexuality and power, the production received four star reviews across the board and was described by The Guardian as "breathtaking theatre".

The House of Bernarda Alba will join Graeae's Reasons To Be Cheerful as part of their online offering whilst theatres remain closed. Their smash hit part play/part gig tells a coming of age tale that rejoices in the infectious and enduring music of Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Filmed in front of a live audience at Theatre Royal Stratford East in the autumn of 2017, as part of its national tour produced in association with The Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Jenny Sealey's loud, bold and jubilant production continues as a free-to-view stream until August 3. This online broadcast has recently won an Oncom Award in recognition the excellence of shows from independent, alternative and fringe theatres that are being presented online since March 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also part of Graeae online offering during this time has been Crips Without Constraints, a full eleven-week programme of online activity which has provided a rich variety of work celebrating the creativity of Deaf and disabled artists across the nation. The series, which ran from April to the end of June, featured eleven new monologues written and performed by Deaf and disabled artists. These are now available to watch online.

Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae says:

"I'm so thrilled our and Royal Exchange's production of The House of Bernarda Alba in Jo Clifford's brilliant translation is getting a second life through the release of this recording. I had a glorious time with Associate Director Nickie Miles-Wildin in 2017 working with the all-female creative team and Deaf and disabled cast led by the brilliantly formidable Kathryn Hunter. It's the first time Graeae have worked in-the-round, and it's a production I'm very proud of. It deserves to be seen by a wider audience, and hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did creating it. Thank you Royal Exchange for your continued support of Graeae and this show in these fraught and complex times".

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