Auditions: The House of Bernarda Alba

Described by Lorca as “a drama of women in the villages of Spain,” The House of Bernarda Alba features an entirely female cast. It focuses on a house in Andalusia during a period of eight years of mourning imposed by the powerful matriarch, Bernarda Alba, who dominates the life of her five daughters, aged twenty to thirty-nine. The play explores themes of authority, grief, the oppression of women, social status, and the influence of beauty and reputation on the women’s lives. The major characters of the play can be classified into two groups: those that are led by reason and those that are led by emotion.

Director: Soheil Parsa

Playwright: Federico García Lorca, English trans. David Johnston

Workshop dates: 2 PT weeks, Winter 2021 (TBC)

Production dates: 7 – 8 FT weeks, Spring 2022 (TBC)

Deadline for submissions: September 1, 2020 at 11:59pm

Audition requirements:
• 300 word statement of interest (pdf format, max 500 kb)
• CV / resume (pdf format, max 500 kb)
• Headshot (jpeg / tiff format, max 1 MB)
• Self-tape: 3 – 5 mins. dramatic monologue of your choice (mp4 / mov format, max 200 MB)

* Please label all files with “first name_last name.”

Submission instructions
Please visit bit.ly/340z2kw to submit all required materials online.
You will be contacted by email no later than October 1, 2020 should we wish to arrange a callback.

Casting Breakdown
Bernarda (50s/60s): A widow who exerts excessive will over her daughters
Maria Josefa (70s/80s): Bernarda’s mother. Bernarda keeps her locked in her room
Angustias (39): Bernarda’s eldest daughter, is sickly, desperate to marry and be free
Magdalena (30): Bernarda’s daughter, devastated by her father’s death
Amelia (27): Bernarda’s daughter, gossipy but submissive to her mother
Martirio (24): Bernarda’s daughter. The martyr, she feels weak and inferior
Adela (20): Bernarda’s daughter. The only one to defy her mother
La Poncia (50+): the housekeeper
A maid (open): another maid of the household
Prudencia (50+): dinner guest

Script availability: Sides will be provided for Call Back appointments, to be scheduled with the Director during October 2020 (online and / or with appropriate physical distancing measures observed)

This production will be performed in English. We particularly encourage applications from self-identifying Equity-seeking candidates representing our performance community’s multiplicity of ethnicities, cultures, languages, genders, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, classes, and training backgrounds.

We acknowledge that auditioning during these necessary times of physical distancing may present barriers. If access or comfort around an online submission process presents a challenge, please feel free to reach out directly to Producer Sue Balint (sue@alunatheatre.ca or text 647.216.3974) to make alternate arrangements.