After an 18 month absence, Ithaca College Theatre begins its 2021-2022 live, in person season with “House of Desires,” written by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and translated by Catherine Boyle. Presented in the Clark Theatre, performances run select dates between Oct. 5, 2021 and Oct. 9, 2021.
Translated from the original title, “Los Empeños de una Casa,” “House of Desires” offers spectators the rare opportunity to experience a Spanish Golden Age comedia that satirizes both Spanish society of the period in which it is set and the genre from which it springs. Set in 16th-century Spain, the play follows a complicated and confusing romantic love triangle between Don Pedro, Doña Leonor, Don Carlos, Dona Ana, and Don Juan, which reaches a boiling point.
In Ithaca College Theatre’s production, costume, music and set design transposes 16th century Spain to a fictional world that lies somewhere between the 16th century and the present. The design elements seek to open the closed doors of a society dominated by the institutional forces of the Church that continuously push women to the margins as it seeks to uphold suffocating patriarchal values and the honor code of Spanish nobility.
“House of Desires” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com