Blood Wedding at Stone Circle Theatre

“We're all curious about what might hurt us.”

An exploratory adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding, translated by Lillian Groag, produced by young Latin and BIPOC artists, bridging its classical, poetic language with diverse modern audiences.

An Experimental Production Centering Young Queer, Latin & BIPOC Artists

"By recontextualizing this classic work, we aim to honor its raw emotional core while breathing new life into it through cultural specificity, movement, and sound." - Production Leaders

Blood Wedding, a bold and innovative adaptation of Federico García Lorca's tragedy, is set to premiere on April 17th through 19th with a cast and creative team of NYU students and recent graduates. This passion project, helmed by a diverse collective of emerging Latin and BIPOC artists, reimagines the Spanish classic through the vibrant rhythms and cultural landscape of the 1930s Caribbean.

Federico García Lorca's Blood Wedding is a poetic tragedy that unfolds in a rural village marked by family feuds, forbidden love, and a fateful wedding. This adaptation breathes new life into Lorca’s exploration of desire, repression, and gender through the perspective of a diverse and queer-inclusive cast. At its center is the Bride (played by actor Susana Gomez) torn between duty to her family and the longing for her former lover, Leonardo. As she declares, “I wish I were a man,” her anguish and yearning take on new depth, a reflection of societal constraints and a question of personal identity. This production magnifies the raw intensity of human impulse—the pull toward what is forbidden, the irresistible draw to what may ultimately destroy us. At the heart of this tragedy are the passionate forces embodied by the Bridegroom (Miles Cameron) and Leonardo (Abdullah Nasser). Both men are propelled not by a thirst for dominance, but by a profound commitment to love, loyalty, and honor. Leonardo is consumed by a love he knows cannot last, yet he chooses it anyway, willing to face death for even a moment of truth with the Bride. The Groom unknowingly enacts the vengeance of his grieving mother, becoming an instrument of a legacy larger than himself. Their final confrontation, though violent, is not born of cruelty, but of passion and pain; two men, two families, caught in the storm of love, betrayal, and a world that gives them no language for loss except blood. This adaptation does not shy away from the raw, physical intensity of their conflicts, bringing a visceral immediacy to their struggle for control, love, and vengeance.

Unlike traditional stagings, this production centers the body as a primary storytelling tool and weaving together sonic landscapes, designed and choreographed by Sophie Massey. Influenced by the Caribbean diaspora, this adaptation strips the text down to its rawest form, uncovering the unrelenting passion, fate, and societal constraints at the heart of Lorca's work and the vision of director Niray Almonte. Their cast and crew reflect the world we live in today: diverse, dynamic, and deeply engaged in reinterpreting classical works in ways that make them more resonant and urgent than ever.

Adding to the magic of this production is its venue, the Stone Circle Theatre in Brooklyn, a breathtaking theater housed inside the historic Ridgewood Presbyterian church. The venue’s ethereal atmosphere and intimate setting provide the perfect backdrop for the heightened emotions and poetic intensity of Blood Wedding. The sacred space enhances the themes of love, fate, and tragedy, immersing audiences in a theatrical experience unlike any other.

Beyond the artistic innovation, what makes this production truly special is that it is entirely self-produced by the artists themselves. Spearheaded by the creative leaders Nicole Rivera, Sophie Massey and Susana Gomez, and backed by independent producers Tino Ngorima and Anna Maria Blackwood. In true indie theater spirit, this team of young creators has taken the reins of their own storytelling, proving that emerging artists don’t have to wait for permission to make powerful, resonant work. Blood Wedding is a testament to their passion, resilience, and commitment to bringing new voices to the stage, highlighting international artists like Sang Hun Kim along with a remarkable ensemble including: Asaru Che, Bianca Martel, Benoit Elias-Roberge, Amina King, Anaya Badami, Thyme Briscoe, Rocio Ayamat, Ana Sofia Salazar, and Dibrianys Duran.

This adaptation of Blood Wedding is not just a performance; it is a celebration of young artists reclaiming and reshaping canonical narratives to reflect their own cultural identities and artistic visions.