Blood Wedding / Bodas de Sangre
In this brilliantly updated tragedy "Blood Wedding" by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca, we follow the passion and obsession Leonardo and the Bride have for each other. It also explores how the different relationships between mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and lovers interweave into one explosive confrontation where the only clear victor is Death. In this version Death shadows the story every step for the inevitable conclusion that unchecked passion ignites. This dual-language version allows directors to incorporate both English and Spanish into their production. The script also encourages directors and their teams to create original melodies set to some of Lorca’s best loved poetry fragments and to produce costume, set, and light choices as elaborate or simple as they desire.
NOTE: This play runs about 60 minutes with the reception dance and fight scenes. Directors wishing to use this script for one-act play contest may cut the show down to accommodate the time rules.
APPROVED UIL OAP short list of permissible productions for the one-act play contest.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
With Playwright Nelly E. Cuellar-Garcia
What inspired you to write this play?
The themes of the play have always resonated with me- women having to place duty over personal desire; family obligation before personal fulfillment; relationships between mothers and sons or mothers and daughters; are we in control of our lives or is there a higher power that has already written our fates, and the acceptance of Death as our daily companion. The cultural similarities between Lorca’s world and the world I live in in rural, deep South Texas resonates with my audience, and the students I work with.
What's your favorite part or line in the play? Why?
One of my favorite scenes in the play is when we meet the mother and her son for the first time. The love and respect the son has for his mother is apparent with every response he makes when she questions her. Even when he is exasperated with her, he never loses his treatment of her answering her with utmost respect and even trying to cajole her out of her ranting with gentle humor. Equally, we see how the mother dotes on her son and lives to ensure his well-being and happiness. Most people in the audience will know what is going to occur in their future, so we feel a bittersweet moment as we watch because we must learn to cherish every moment you spend with a loved one, never knowing it might be the last moment of its kind.
Where did the characters come from? Are they based on people you know?
Lorca created the characters, and then I adapted the work adding new scenes between characters that don’t exist in his play to give the characters more depth and motivation for their choices in the play.
What did you try to achieve with this play?
I wanted the audience to find pieces of themselves portrayed by the characters. All of us have felt pain or yearning at the loss of a first love. Similarly, those of us who are parents can identify with the constant need to ensure your child is safe and protected from the evils of the world. We also hope that as they age, they will find a partner that will help them grow and find fulfillment. Finally, many of us can identify with loss and the rending and tearing of the soul as a person they love above all else slowly withers and dies before them.
Do you have anything else you'd like to add?
This adaptation involves acting, singing, and dancing and provides a marvelous vehicle for designers to create unique sets, original music, light design, and original costume choices, and directors are able to create a new interpretation of this piece, allowing all sections of theatre to create a spectacular show for your audience.