Is our fate determined by the stars? Segismundo has spent his whole life imprisoned in a rocky tower until he wakes one morning in a palace and is told he is the crown Prince of Poland and master of all he sees. Is this a dream? What dark secret has kept Segismundo locked away all these years with only an old courtier for company?
With deft poetry and stinging comedy, this 17-century bolckbuster by Pedro Calderón de la Barca - the Shakespeare of Spain - forces us to examine how our actions can create the enemies we fear the most.
Life is a Dream
by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Translated by Stanley Appelbaum
Cast List
Segismundo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Becky Fullan
Rosaura / Basilio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eleanor Craig
Clotaldo / Estrella. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Hochberg
Clarin / Astolfo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte Rahn-Lee
Man Thrown from Window / Soldier. . . . . . . . .Erina Donnelly
Director Lilah Rahn-Lee
Producer Maddie von Baeyer
Stage Manager Maddie von Baeyer
Set Design Erina Donnelly
Tech Design Erina Donnelly
Costumes Rachel Hochberg
Graphic Design Julia Niedzwiecki
Dramaturg Chelsea Phillips
Uncut Pages Theater Company would like to thank Drew Porterfield
at the Long View Gallery for the performance space, the Harvard
College Women’s Center and Simmons College for the rehearsal
space, Hiroshi Iwasaki for the lights, Bill Donnelly for the food and
the set help, and all our donors who have supported us throughout
the years. Thank you all very much.
Dramaturge’s Note
La Vida es Sueno (Life is a Dream) is Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s best known work. During his lifetime, Calderón engaged in religious, militaristic, and legal pursuits in addition to his nearly constant dramatic career. Vida stands as one of the foremost achievements of the Spanish Golden Age, which began in 1492 and ended with Calderón’s death in 1681. The play is entirely in verse, and was first published in 1636 or 1637, probably after some time in production. This translation by Stanley Appelbaum attempts to stay true to the original metrics and meaning of Calderón’s work.
A Bit of Summary…
Rosaura – Travels to Poland from Muscovy disguised as a man to avenge
her honor against
Astolfo. Although she doesn’t know it, she is the
daughter of Clotaldo and carries his sword.
Clarin – Is originally Rosaura’s servant and travels with her from Muscovy.
Segismundo – The unknown Prince of Poland. At his birth, his father
Basilio locked him up
in his mountain cave because the stars predicted he
would be a tyrant.
Clotaldo – Segismundo’s keeper and Basilio’s loyal servant. He is the only
person who knows
who Segismundo is and that he is still alive. Clotaldo is
also Rosaura’s father, but only realizes
this when he sees the sword Rosaura
is carrying.
Basilio – King of Poland. Basilio is getting old and needs to choose an
heir. He announces that
he has a son, Segismundo, and that he wants to
put him on the throne.
Astolfo – Basilio’s nephew and the Prince of Muscovy. While in Muscovy
he met and became
engaged to Rosaura but was called to Poland to defend
his right to the throne. To secure his
right to the throne, he becomes
engaged to Estrella, not knowing that Rosaura has followed
him to Poland
to try to avenge her honor.
Estrella – Basilio’s niece, the Princess of Poland. She is pleased when
Astolfo proposes to
her to secure the throne, but doubts his sincerity when
he’s reluctant to give up the portrait
he wears of a mysterious other lady.