Fuente Ovejuna (2005)

by Lope de Vega adapted by Adrian Mitchell

Performances: Tue 1st – Sat 5th March 2005, Bell Theatre

Introduction

Fuente Ovejuna - ruthless, bloody, lusty, passionate, stirring, hot, sexy and thought provoking, it follows the personal stories of a town's civil disobedience against unjust rulers.

The story is told through the use of drama, dance, song and poetry. The commander, a womaniser, is attempting to seduce a village maiden. Her peasant lover risks his own life to threaten the commander allowing the maiden to escape. Enraged, the commander orders the peasant's murder and the beating of the girl's father, while he kidnaps the girl to inflict his revenge. When the young woman finally returns to the village, having been tortured and raped, she shames the women of the town into killing the commander. The townspeople of Fuente Ovejuna take vengeance on their tyrannical commander and the entire town becomes protagonist when everyone takes the blame for his murder.