Purdue University Department of Theatre to present ‘Fefu and Her Friends’ by María Irene Fornés

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Department of Theatre will present “Fefu and Her Friends” by María Irene Fornés, directed by Raquel Lopez, lecturer at Purdue and producing artistic director of the Civic Theatre of Lafayette. This production will be presented both in-person and through livestreamed digital recordings Nov. 12-21 in the Nancy T. Hansen Theatre at Pao Hall in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance.

As part of Protect Purdue protocols to keep the campus community safe, face masks are required inside any Purdue building regardless of vaccination status. The opening night is at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, followed by live performances and digital recordings at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 18, 19 and 20 and 2:30 p.m. matinees on Nov. 14 and 21. The digital recordings for “Fefu and Her Friends” will have open captions.

Written in 1977, this early immersive drama is one of the best-known plays of María Irene Fornés, Cuban-American playwright and matriarch of Latinx playwriting and avant-garde theatre traditions. Set in the 1930s, eight women gather at their friend Fefu’s home to plan an educational fundraiser. While a seemingly simple plot, the play is anything but. As the audience moves through the stage space to engage with the scenes in a different order, Fornés dramatizes the complex experiences of women in patriarchal culture.

The nature of this immersive piece invites the audience to move onto the stage and through backstage to locations in Pao Hall, guided by ushers. Patrons with accessibility considerations should contact the Hall of Music Box Office at 765-494-3933. For specific questions about audience movement, contact Megan Sloan, theatre marketing and outreach assistant, at 765-494-3084. 

Scenic and lighting design are by Denisse Chavez (Purdue MFA lighting design ’22); costume design by guest artist Allison Jones (Purdue MFA costume design ’21); and sound design by Huhao Yang (Purdue MFA sound design ’23). Video and sound for livestreaming is handled by the Hall of Music Productions, led by Tom Harmeson.

Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 765-494-3933, or at the campus Loeb Playhouse box office (Stewart Center, 128 Memorial Mall, West Lafayette, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and are $19.50 (adults), $15.50 (adults 62 and above), and $12.50 (students).

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Media contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu