Missing Links:

I found the links but, my comments are lost in cyber space. (Boooo!)

Ownership and Inheritance of Spanish Farms  Remember this site addresses Northern traditions, but a darn interesting read.  I still don't know what part of this information might be applicable to the South.

Spanish Culture This would be a great link if any one was doing a study guide for this production.  Here I found info about architecture and use of space, food use in ceremony , and more about inheritance traditions.

New sketches

For the Thurs. 9/6 meeting.
Proportions are running amuck, but I think the ideas are clear enough.

More Ideas for Act One

At today's meeting it was suggested that Act 1 takes place in a summer kitchen.  A space that is not indoors, but not entirely outdoors either. They would be undercover, protected from the sun, but in a place designed not to hold the heat of cooking.  I love the shadows created by the sun shade here, but unsure of how well the audience would tolerate the movement of actors through the contrast of light and shadow. Additionally, I have only seen this treatment in modern remakes of historic or so called "rustic" homes.  I'm not sure it would be practical to have any sun in a place the women would spend the entire day cooking.

Do we include an outdoor oven?

Bernarda twice talks about wells.
1. Page 12 Bernarda: "How else can anyone speak of this village, this village with no river? A village of wells where we scarcely dare drink. The poisoned village."
2. P.14 Bernarda referring to Maria Josefa: "Go and deal with her. And keep her away from the well.
Servant: Don't worry, that woman's not going to kill herself.
Water, or the lack of it, is important.  I need to do a dedicated reading to this idea.

Other photos that seem helpful right now, but might be meaningless.  (Gather now, sort later)

Pretty sure they don't have a pool. ;)

The summer kitchen will probably have built-in shelves instead of cabinets or a hutch.

Brain Storm and Dry Earth

Just randomness I'm just tossing out for discussion and comment . . .brain storming blog . . . 

WORDS:

Stifling

Confined

Is there a word that means to rob something of "the juice of life", like dehydrating, but with another layer?

cloistered

smothering

weighty

barren (!)

For Act 3 only: air

These sketches are thinking on paper . . .
3 units: two-window/door units  one-main gate to the inner court yard

These three units shift to form the different locations.

Act1:  Seems like it is adjacent to the kitchen, but a "public" area of the house. This space confuses me.

Act2: A sitting room outside the bedrooms of the daughters.

Act3: Courtyard

Set materials: stucco, oiled wood, wrought iron,

red clay tile, white lace, dry cracked earth

All scenes are seen against a desolate, dry, empty landscape.  Or is there a lush oasis far, far, -------> far away? (this means cyc and ground row, with black scrim)

What I like:

Three looks with the same 3 pieces.

Simplicity of the shapes

Small levels as part of the units.

What I need to work on / think about:

I don't like where the door ends up in Act 3.  Which means it will swap sides in the other two scenes too.

The dressing: how much is too much?  Need to decide how poor/rich they actually are.

Possible distortion of simple shapes . . .

Getting Started

This blog will center on the scenic elements for the Seton Hill University production of The House of Bernarda Alba. We will be using the new english version by David Hare.  Links to other product blogs will be added as they are created.

Images for reflection:

Mujer con Mantilla  by Jose Benlliure y Gil 
This lovely image seems to embody the exact opposite of the women portrayed in the play.

This model of a Napoleon Era Farm helps us to understand the layout of the buildings and courtyard of the property.

This farm has elements of a mini fortress.
Note that there are no windows on the lower level on the exterior side of the wall.
The fortress of farm seems appropriate for the Albas.

A modern Spanish kitchen displaying many traditional elements.

White washed interior with shuttered windows.  I like the texture of the wall in this image.

This table exhibits many of the typical qualities of Spanish Furniture.  
>Heavy structure and appearance
>bold carvings
 >turned legs
>dark stain or oil

Modern photo of an old farm

This image and the one above it illustrate the thickness of the stone walls of the spanish buildings.  Look around the windows to see how deeply they are set into the wall.  The bedroom image show the structure of the walls beneath the plaster.

I am not yet sure where Act 1 takes place, it is at least adjacent to the kitchen if not in it.
Page 4 Poncia gestures towards the pots.
"No! Won't do! Not clean enough!"

A Spanish Farm by Jose Benlliure y Gil
This painter died in 1937.
I don't know when this painting was made, but it seems likely this is a farm of the appropriate era. 

When I saw this image it made me think of Adela in her green dress.