Drama Scholarship and Enrichment Screening and Discussion 

Last week our Drama Scholarship and Enrichment students watched a recording of the production ‘House of Bernarda Alba’.  Rebecca Frecknall made her directorial debut at the National Theatre with Alice Birch’s radical version of Federico García Lorca’s modern masterpiece, and our students got to enjoy this enriching experience, with a post-performance discussion. Year 10’s Annabelle shares here experience in her review. 

Annabelle, Year 10 – Review of ‘House of Bernarda Alba’ 

The performance of ‘House of Bernarda Alba’ was so powerful, it filled us a variety of different emotions.  

The set onstage was so clever, at the beginning there is a beautiful light that casts the shadows of each character in their separate rooms.  The technical elements really immersed us in the production.  The costumes played an impressive part in showing us how the characters change throughout their journey, using contrasting colours.  

The whole story takes place in just one house, which made everything feel claustrophobic, symbolising how the daughters of Bernarda Alba must feel. This was an amazing technique to bring us into their lives.  

The absence of any other colour than a light teal in the house made it feel clinical and cold which reflects the story perfectly. Even the little moments we shared with each character felt so big.  

It was a gift to experience such a beautiful and stunning performance.