BWW Q&A: Luz Nicolás of LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA at GALA Hispanic Theatre

GALA Theatre continues its Golden Season with a contemporary staging of the modern classic La casa de Bernarda Alba (The House of Bernarda Alba) by Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca. Directed by José Zayas and with original music by Koki Lortkipanidze, the play runs at GALA February 5 through March 1, 2026, and explores themes of female oppression, sexual repression, and the conflict between tradition and modernity, all universal topics that resonate with audiences today.

García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba brims with tension, desire, and rebellion as five sisters are forced into strict mourning for their father under the iron rule of their mother, Bernarda. In this electrifying new production, passions simmer behind closed doors, secrets spark dangerous rivalries, and the pressure of a house built on control threatens to explode. This contemporary staging infuses Lorca’s classic with a sensuous, modern pulse and a dark Gothic mystery, illuminating why Bernarda Alba remains as urgent and thrilling today as ever.

Luz Nicolás (Bernarda) is a GALA company member who appeared in Fuenteovejuna, Las hermanas Palacios, Baño de Luna, La valentía, Native Gardens, Revoltosa (2023 HHA Award, Outstanding Ensemble in a Play), La casa de la laguna, Doña Rosita la soltera, La tía Julia y el escribidor, Exquisita agonía, Cervantes – El último Quijote (2017 HHA nomination, Outstanding Ensemble in a Play), Yerma (2016 HHA nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress), and Mariela en el desierto, among others. Additional credits include The House of Bernarda Alba at the CMU in Pittsburgh, The Swallow at DuPont Underground, Romeo and Juliet (Nurse, Folger Theatre), La llorona (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop), Abismo (Miami and Madrid, 2022); Alice in Costa Rica; Exquisita agonía (2018 HOLA Award for Best Actress, Repertorio Español - NYC, Miami Dade County Auditorium); An Invisible Piece of this World (IATI Theatre, NY); Iberian Mystics: The Confluence of Faiths, part of the Iberian Suite: Global arts remix festival (Kennedy Center); The Vip  (Single Carrot Theatre, Baltimore); Última partida (The Final Draw), a jazz and words performance; and The Merchant of Venice, among others.

Can you share some insight into your character, Bernarda Alba, and how you connect with her?

Bernarda symbolizes the tyranny, repression, and worst of male-dominated systems of power that perpetuate disparities imposed on women by Catholicism and the fear that comes to the world and society as they evolve. I can’t and won’t connect the obsession to wield power in order to resist it.

How does the theme of female oppression in The House of Bernarda Alba resonate with you?

Generalissimo Francisco Franco was still alive when I was born in Spain in the early 70s. The impact of the destruction, attacks, and sounds of the overwhelming oppression of the people, their right to express their views openly and freely, and their ability to organize and resist the authoritarian power, control, violence, and deaths executed by the dictatorship at will left open wounds in the souls and bodies of people buried or that populated the Spanish landscape of villages, cities and countryside subject to the terror of Franco’s rule and patriarchy. It was a part of my childhood that has remained with me into adulthood.

How do you approach the emotional intensity of Bernarda Alba's character?

It’s about studying and preparation. Although it is very demanding, you need to give the space to it.

How do you think the themes of the play connect with modern audiences?

History keeps repeating itself, but we don’t seem to learn from our experiences. Today we struggle with the same issues that were the themes of plays written by playwrights of the Golden Age of Spain and Shakespeare to the present ---war, love, race, class, privilege, violence, hope, mortality, etc. Who would have thought that Kiss of the Spider Woman, written in 1976, the year GALA was founded, would find connection and relevance to the kidnapping of people on the streets of Washington by masked government agents to victims of the “dirty war” in Argentina 50 years ago. Or Lorca’s modern classic story of repression and silencing of free expression remains an issue today.

What challenges have you faced while preparing for this role?

A bad flu that has made me miserable and on the other hand, I am still in the process of giving Bernarda the truth she deserves.

What does your involvement in GALA’s production of The House of Bernarda Alba mean to you as a Spanish artist?

I celebrate GALA by choosing a play like The House of Bernarda Alba. Federico García Lorca is our theatre playwright North Star.

How do you feel the contemporary staging has added a new dimension to La casa de Bernarda Alba?

It is more conceptual than traditional and that adds a deeper dimension to the storytelling.

Why must audiences come and see the show?