Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Modern Times Stage Company and Aluna Theatre are pleased to announce their multi-Dora Award winning hit production of Federico García Lorca’s BLOOD WEDDINGS returns to the stage at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre this March 4th – 19th for a limited remount, following the runaway success of the inaugural production.
First produced at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in March 2015 under the direction of Modern Times’ Soheil Parsa, the show received overwhelmingly positive critical reception, won 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, 2 Toronto Theatre Critics Association Awards, and landed on NOW Magazine’s Top Ten List for the year. The production returns with the majority of its original cast and crew, again under Parsa’s direction.
“We are thrilled to have a chance to share this production again after the wonderful response it received in 2015,” says Modern Times Stage Company Artistic Director Parsa. “In this year, at this time in history, a play dealing with social conventions that stand in the way of individuals being able to freely be themselves, seems immediate and absolutely necessary. BLOOD WEDDINGS also looks at how humanity can easily slide into tribal mentality and the dangers of that – which of course we are seeing in many ways around the world right now. To me, this play is a timeless mirror.”
Inspired by a fragment of a newspaper story found by the playwright, BLOOD WEDDINGS tells the story of a family vendetta that comes to a boil when a bride-to-be runs away with the son of the enemy. As they flee the oppressing forces of their family’s histories, death pursues them through the thick of the forest under the light of the moon.
This story of ill-fated romance serves as the backdrop for a poetic exploration of the conflict between individual desires and social conventions. It pits primal desire against the weight of history, and holds up love as the most powerful and unstoppable force we can harness.
When the production was first mounted, it was praised for its diverse casting, though Parsa emphasizes that there was no political imperative driving his choices. “My work is not about the politics of identity,” he says. “What I look for in actors is what they as individuals will bring to a character and to paint the most vivid picture on stage that I can. In a way, the classics, being somewhat removed from contemporary temporal limitations, allow the most freedom for me as an artist. The cast of our production is a reflection of a full spectrum of humanity, which is what theatre should be.”
BLOOD WEDDINGS is on stage at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, from March 4 - 19 (Opening/Media night: March 7) with performances Tuesday – Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays. Tickets are available from $15 - $30 (Sunday matinees pay-what-you-can, excluding preview) at http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/show/blood-weddings/ and by calling 416-975-8555.
Modern Times Stage Company was founded in the belief that individual voices, experiences and backgrounds can unite in a common vision and create theatre that expresses the essence of a shared human spirit. Now in its 27th season, Modern Times has explored stories from across the globe, producing adapted, translated and original works for audiences in Canada and internationally. www.moderntimesstage.com
Aluna Theatre was founded in 2001 by Artistic Director Beatriz Pizano as a response to the misrepresentation and underrepresentation of cultural diversity on our stages. The company aims to form a new and distinct language of theatrical presentation made up of Canadian, Latin America, and Indigenous heritages. Aluna has received 11 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and 26 nominations for their work. www.alunatheatre.ca
BLOOD WEDDINGS | BODAS DE SANGRE
by FEDERICO GARCÍA LORCA
translation by LANGSTON HUGHES
adapted by MELIA BENSUSSEN
directed by SOHEIL PARSA
Featuring: Beatriz Pizano, Derek Kwan, Bahareh Yaraghi, Carlos González-Vio, Sochi Fried, Jani Lauzon, Steven Bush, Lara Arabian, Carla Melo, Sebastian Marziali, Mina James, Chiamaka G. Ugwu
Performance Schedule
Previews: Saturday March 4 @ 8pm & Sunday March 5 @ 2.30pm
Opening: Tuesday March 7 @ 8pm
Runs: Tuesdays – Saturdays @ 8pm
Wednesdays - Sundays @ 2.30pm
Closing: Sunday March 19
Photo: Sochi Fried as the Moon and Liz Peterson as Death in Blood Wedding. ©2015 Brian Damude.
2017-01-31
Toronto: Modern Times and Aluna Theatre bring back award-winning "Blood Weddings" March 4-19