House of Desires Plays at Duke
Durham, N.C. - The Duke Department of Theater Studies will present House of Desires October 20-29, 2006. Rafael Lopez-Barrantes will direct the production.
House of Desires was written by a nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, in 1683 in Mexico City. Known for her insistence on pursuing her interests at a time when women had few options, Sor Juana is recognized as a proto-feminist. Because a convent was the only place where a woman could follow a path of learning and writing, she joined the Hieronymite Order, which fortunately allowed her the freedom to receive the most interesting people of her time as visitors -- and to observe their foibles.
Lopez-Barrantes , Senior Lecturing Fellow in the Department of Theater Studies, says, "House of Desires is a comedy of errors and intrigue. It is not that different from Friends or Seinfeld . The characters are always plotting -- they are continually scheming to satisfy their desires.
"Sor Juana is very playful with words and the comedy is in the concocting. In their self-serving way, her characters attempt to use language to conquer. The contemporary translation by Catherine Boyle makes the piece very accessible for modern audiences," says Lopez-Barrantes.
Amir Ofek, the Theater Department's Visiting Lecturer in Design, is designing the set and costumes for House of Desires.
House of Desires will play in Reynolds Theater, Bryan Center, West Campus, October 20-21, 26-28 at 8:00 p.m. and October 29 at 2:00 p.m. For more information on the production and box office information, go to www.duke.edu/web/theaterstudies.
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