A “radical new take” on Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding is to stop off at Derby Theatre as part of a UK tour.
The play is a co-production between Dundee Rep Ensemble, Derby Theatre and Graeae Theatre Company.
Graeae’s artistic director Jenny Sealey directs David Ireland’s new version of Lorca’s play which is “fuelled by searing lust, love and rebellion”.
She said, “someone once said to me ‘Lorca did not write Blood Wedding for people like you (deaf and disabled actors) to be in it’. Graeae, Dundee Rep and Derby Theatre beg to differ and challenge that statement with our adaptation, placing a glorious diversity of people centre stage, all of whom have a right to be there to claim their stake in the narrative.”
The play features a young man and woman who are overrun with passion and defy their families. The consequences are fatally heartbreaking. Passion, rage and bloodshed ensue in a tale that pushes rebellion to its limits. The consequences are explosive as a wedding party turns sour and two families are torn apart.
The cast comprises Amy Conachan, Alison Halstead, Irene Macdougall, Gerard McDermott, Ricci McLeod, Miles Mitchell, E J Raymond, Ann Louise Ross and Millie Turner.
All performances of Blood Wedding include a combination of BSL interpretation, captioning and audio description. The play contains scenes of an adult and sexual nature as well as strong language. It is recommended for those aged 14 and over.
It runs at Derby Theatre from Tuesday (17 March) until Saturday 28 March and then tours to Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock, Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich and Liverpool Everyman.