Mistaken identities, hidden lovers, mischievous servants and duels in the dark. Welcome to “House of Desires,” a romantic comedy of errors written in 1683 by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a proto-feminist Mexican nun today considered one of the most brilliant writers of the Baroque period.
The Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present Catherine Boyle’s recent translation of “House of Desires” as its spring mainstage production.
Performances take place at 8 p.m. April 13-14 and 20-21 and 2 p.m. April 15 and 22 in Edison Theatre.
A satire of courtly conventions, the play focuses on the rivalry between the noble Doña Ana and the virtuous yet impoverished Doña Leonor. When Leonor is separated from her lover, Don Carlos, by the machinations of Ana’s brother, Don Pedro, she seeks refuge with Ana. Unbeknownst to Leonor, Ana also is in love with Carlos, though she is formally wooed by the feckless Don Juan.
“Sor Juana was clearly a writer ahead of her time,” said Trevor Biship, guest director in the PAD and a 2003 alumnus. “Though ‘House of Desires’ follows the conventions of Spanish Golden Age comedy — mistaken identity, romantic entanglements — it also deals with issues of identity, gender and patriarchy in ways that seem very contemporary.”
Boyle’s translation of “House of Desires” was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as part of its critically acclaimed 2004 series “The Spanish Golden Age.”
Boyle, a reader in Latin-American cultural studies at Kings College in London, served as academic adviser to the series. The following year, the RSC moved its production of “House of Desires” to London’s West End.
Biship is the former literary manager for St. Louis’ (Mostly) Harmless Theatre. Now based in Los Angeles, he has spent the last several years as a freelance director for major regional theaters such as the South Coast Repertory, Theatre of Note and the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
The cast of 14 includes sophomore Kaylin Boosalis as Ana; senior Elizabeth Neukirch as Leonor; graduate student Chris Hartman as Carlos; senior Robert McLemore as Pedro; and Matthew Gill, the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in English in Arts & Sciences, as Don Juan.
Sets, inspired by the painting of El Greco, are by Patrick Huber, visiting artist-in-residence in the PAD. Original music scored specifically for this production is by Jeffrey Noonan, teacher of applied music in Arts & Sciences.
Costumes are by Bonnie Kruger, senior lecturer in the PAD. Lighting is by Charles Chapman, artist-in-residence in the PAD. Sound is by sophomore Timothy Trinidad.
Tickets are $15; $9 for students, seniors, faculty and staff. For more information, call 935-6543.