Repertorio Español

Repertorio Español is a New York theatre company whose productions of The House of Bernarda Alba in 1979 and 1989 contributed to the play’s reception in the United States. The two stagings, a decade apart, drew critical attention to both the strength of the production and the continued relevance of Lorca’s work.

Productions in New York

Repertorio Español staged The House of Bernarda Alba in New York in 1979. The production was among three Spanish-language New York productions discussed for the 1970s, following stagings at the ADAL Theater in 1972 and Nuestro Teatro in 1974. New York Times critic Richard Shepard praised the strength of Repertorio Español’s production, placing the company within a decade of renewed attention to Lorca’s play in the city.

The company returned to the play in the spring and summer of 1989, staging it again in New York ten years after its earlier production. A New York Times reviewer observed that the work had lost none of its relevance over that interval. The revival thus connected the company’s earlier engagement with the play to its continuing resonance for later audiences.

Reception and significance

The record of these two productions reflects the durable appeal of The House of Bernarda Alba beyond its original Spanish setting. The 1979 review emphasized the quality of the company’s staging; the response to the 1989 revival emphasized the play’s persistence over time. Together, those assessments associate Repertorio Español with the work’s continuing life on the New York stage and with the broader recognition of Lorca’s dramatic vision as universal.