Salisbury Playhouse is premiering a new adaptation of Federico Lorca’s Blood Wedding, re-told by Salisbury playwright Barney Norris, commissioned and produced by Wiltshire and Creative and Up In Arms. The new adaptation is set in present-day Wiltshire and runs from February 6 to 22.
Jeff Rawle (The Durrells) and Teresa Banham(Mary Wilson in The Crown, Netflix) lead the cast with Wiltshire Creative Stage 65 Youth Theatre alumnus Reece Evans (Peer Gynt, Salisbury Playhouse) playing Rob, the young groom.
Barney Norris’s explosive retelling of Lorca’s classic tragedy sets the action firmly in a modern-day Wiltshire community that’s rocked by revelations and gossip as a young couple prepare for their wedding. Barney’s previous plays include Echo’s End and The Remains of the Day at Salisbury Playhouse.
Barney Norris said: “I’ve always been interested in the possibilities of setting existing, well-known stories in a Wiltshire landscape. Blood Wedding is a fable about the hidden wildness of the world, the power of love and longing, the suffering of women, the ineluctable pull of fate.”
Blood Wedding is directed by Alice Hamilton and designed by James Perkins. Barney and Alice take part in a number of workshops about playwriting during the run of Blood Wedding.
To coincide with Blood Wedding at Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury Arts Centre hosts a solo exhibition by Cornwall-based artist Nicola Bealing, Three Acts and Seven Scenes, which responds to Lorca’s Blood Wedding. Several of Nicola’s works were recently acquired by the British Museum for its permanent collection.
Up in Arms is supported by Frank and Elizabeth Brenan. Blood Wedding is supported by Wiltshire Creative’s Commissioning Circle.
Tickets are on sale now and can be booked by calling Ticket Sales on 01722 320333 or by visiting www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk