The Bonstelle Theatre, on the campus of Wayne State University will present Federico Garcia Lorca's final work The House of Bernarda Alba. A bleak yet powerful social commentary about gender roles within Spanish culture, Bernarda Alba exposes the pressures of convention, the imprisoning effect of mourning customs, and the frustration of suppressed female sexuality.

Considered by many to be Spain's greatest poet and dramatist of the 20th century, Lorca penned The House of Bernarda Alba in 1936 just before his murder. Lorca was slain by the instigator of the Spanish Civil War, General Francisco Franco during the beginning of the conflict in an effort to phase out intellectuals, who were considered a threat to the regime. After being dragged out to the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, shot, and thrown into an unmarked grave, the government attempted to wipe out the memory of Lorca and his works.

Director Dr. James Thomas, whose work has been seen mainly on the Hilberry stage, brings together the talented cast of Debora Joy Winans (Detroit), Angela Duffy (Roseville), Katie Galazka (Livonia), Marianne Gagrica (Jenison), Alison Christy (Shelby Township), Molly McMahon (Ypsilanti), and Julie Smelser (St. Clair). Bernarda Alba also features scenic designs by Hilberry Company member Kristen Compton, and costume design by Mary Copenhagen of the WSU Faculty.

The House of Bernarda Alba plays at the Bonstelle Theatre, located at 3424 Woodward Avenue, March 5-7 and March 12-14. Performance times are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10. $8 for students, seniors, Wayne State faculty and staff, and members of the Wayne State University Alumni Association. Special discounts are also available for groups of 15 or more. For more information and tickets to The House of Bernarda Alba, please call Wayne State University's Theatre Box Office at (313) 577-2960.