Caridad Svich‘s “The House of the Spirits” is a poetic adaptation of celebrated Chilean author Isabel Allende‘s haunting novel, which centers on the women of the Trueba family as they rise from rags to riches in the shadow of social and political turmoil. The play opens November 6 and runs through November 15 in the Young Theatre on the campus of Cal State Fullerton.
The CSUF re-imagining of “The House of the Spirits” captures the force and sensuality of Allende’s vision through Caridad Svich‘s unique poetic spirit. Set in South America during the 1920s through the 1970s, the story is told from the point of view of Alba, the youngest of three generations of Trueba women, as the country moves through enormous sociopolitical change that culminates in a devastating dictatorship. Alba’s swirling memories – frightening, amusing, lyrical, and fantastic – illuminate her family’s history and ultimately give her the strength to recover her own story.
Winner of seven 2009 HOLA Awards including Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting; three 2009 Premios ACE (Latin ACE Award), including Best Dramatic Production; and five 2010 Ovation Awards from The Denver Post including Best Production. This production of The House of the Spirits will be performed bilingually, with roughly half of the text performed in Spanish with projected English translations. “House of the Spirits” is also presented as part of Cal State Fullerton’s Latinx Heritage Month celebration.
The cast includes Kiana Owens, Francesca Verdino, Maria Tumasova, Ethan Montes, Gabriel Hernandez, Celeste Pacheco, Savannah Haislip, Ariana Dolan, Kaliana Caldwell, Braden Michael, Omar Estrada, Nathan Camacho, and Jonah Camacho. The production also includes the work of Tyler Garcia (director); Sarah Grandpre (music direction); Macarena Gandarillas (choreography); Michael Polak (intimacy and fight choreography); Eric Sheehan (director of photography); Gina Kim (scenic design); Kieran Tierney (puppetry); Haven Hanson (costume design); Omar Ramos (video design); Mickey Narez (lighting design); Hunter Moody (sound design); and Lauren Wiedman (hair, makeup, and props).
“House of the Spirits” plays November 6–15 in the Young Theatre of Clayes Performing Arts Center. In person performances on Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm, and Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm. General Admission tickets are $14/ ($12 Titan Discount) and are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 12–4 pm, Tuesday through Friday, at the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office or online.
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