Life is a Dream
by Pedro Calderón
de la Barca
adapted by Nilo Cruz
Directed by: Wind Dell Woods
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Assistant Director: Alex Miller
Stage Manager: Sam Webb
Lighting Design: Patty Mathieu
Sound Design: Arlo Chiaki Rowe
Set Design: Kurt Walls
Costume Design: Mishka Navarre
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Norton-Clapp Theatre, Tacoma, WA
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October 29-30, November 4-5 2021 at 7:30pm, 6th at 2pm and 7:30pm
A product of the golden age of Spanish drama, Life Is a Dream (La vida es sueño) is the masterpiece of Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–1681), a contemporary of Lope de Vega and one of Spain’s greatest literary figures.
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Acclaimed for his superb dramatic instincts and philosophical seriousness as well as his extraordinary imagination, Calderón exercised his best qualities in this allegorical play, an exploration of the mysteries of human destiny, the illusory nature of earthly existence, and the struggle between predestination and free will. The story revolves around the moral dilemmas of a Polish prince, unjustly imprisoned by his suspicious father. Against a background of revolution, Calderón builds a dramatic edifice of outstanding theatricality, rich in symbolism and metaphor, expressed in magnificent poetry.
Live Music!
Our set was designed in a way to accommodate our live six-piece band who was there and played for the show. The band, which we called Mr. Sandman's Dreams, played songs from the 60s, as well as sound effects here and there, to match the atmosphere of the show which was set in the 60s in San Fransisco.
Photo by Arlo Chiaki Rowe
Sh-Boom by The Chords
Video by Arlo Chiaki Rowe
Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny
Video by Arlo Chiaki Rowe
Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes
Video by Arlo Chiaki Rowe
I've Got Dreams to Remember by Otis Redding
Video by Arlo Chiaki Rowe
In Dreams by Roy Orbison
Video by Arlo Chiaki Rowe
Sound Effect: Character gets shot
Video by Arlo Chiaki Rowe