Poncia

The lines spoken by the character of Poncia in Federico García Lorca La casa de Bernarda Alba [The House of Bernarda Alba] are the starting point of this text, an in-depth analysis of the character that turns the play’s original dialogues into reflections, soliloquies, dialogues with ghosts and shadows. A new perspective is thus illuminated within the house. In the original play, we witness a succession of events that take place in chronological order, but in this Poncia, played by Lolita Flores, we listen to the character after she has been shaken up by Adela’s suicide.

Poncia’s language is unleashed in a place and time where words are prohibited. She settles scores with the house's inhabitants and shows kindness towards and defends the youngest daughter. ‘I have always found Poncia more compelling than any other character living in Bernarda Alba's house’, says the playwright and director, Luis Luque. ‘The servant characters conceal an intriguing enigma: they are the witnesses of their masters’ ups and downs, they know the truth of what is happening inside the homes and they possess the hidden philosophy of the working class’. Therefore, we will hear the voice of a servant who illuminates the dark corners left by Lorca's play. Suicide, freedom, guilt, class, education and sex... Poncia talks about all of this with the voice of a person who has long been mistreated and forced to remain silent. But now Poncia bares her soul to us to insist on the need to love ourselves in freedom.

Poncia is written and directed by Luis Luque Cabrera, a Madrid-based stage director and playwright who has been the assistant artistic director at the Teatro Español and Naves del Español in Matadero since 2019.

Co-produced by Pentación Espectáculos and Teatro Español.

With the support of the ICEC (Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies) of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya; the Barcelona City Council; and INAEM (National Institute for the Performing Arts and Music) of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport.

With funding from the European Union Next Generation Funds; the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (government of Spain); and Next Generation Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya).

At the representation of this show on June 29, there will be an audio-description and accompaniment service.