LOVE IS THE GREATER LABYRINTH
New Translation of Final Play
by Groundbreaking 17th-Century Mexican Playwright Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
is Vibrant Spanish Comedia Take on Greek Mythology,
Mixing Comedy, Tragedy, Adventure, and Romance Aplenty
Love is the Greater Labyrinth, directed by Guest Director Anna Rebek
Performances November 8-10 & 14-16 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre
The UVA Department of Drama's first mainstage production of the 2024-2025 season is Love is the Greater Labyrinth, by the celebrated 17th-century Mexican playwright, philosopher, poet, feminist, and nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, translated from the Spanish by the UCLA Diversifying the Classics Project / Working Group on the Comedia in Translation and Performance.
Love is the Greater Labyrinth, directed by Anna Rebek, opens November 8th in the Ruth Caplin Theatre.
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The play, a retelling of the myth of Teseo (Theseus) and the Minotaur, journeys across nearly every theatrical genre, deftly hopping from swashbuckling adventure to complicated romance, darkly comedic tragedy, and sociopolitical commentary. When Teseo volunteers his life to save his homeland and appease the furious King Minos, he doesn’t expect to fall in love, especially more than once! Conquering the Minotaur is just the beginning – the hunt for romance takes strange shapes as it navigates dark gardens, mistaken identities, dueling affections, and convolutions of all sorts. Everyone seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time wooing the wrong person, all the while dodging the seemingly endless wrath of the King.
Lead translator Barbara Fuchs, Distinguished Professor and Director of Diversifying the Classics at UCLA, is on a mission to diversify the “classical” theatrical cannon to incorporate and celebrate long-excluded plays like Love is the Greater Labyrinth. Fresh adaptations into English are part of resurrecting these plays and facilitating their production so that they may receive the recognition they richly deserve. When Dave Dalton, Artistic Director and Associate Professor of Acting and Directing, approached Anna Rebek with this script and the opportunity to direct, Rebek was surprised that she had never heard of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz during her extensive study of theatre history, across different training and educational programs.
The more Rebek learned about Sor Juana, the more exciting the prospect of giving this play new life became. “I asked the Mexican women in my family about Sor Juana, and my mom knew all about her legendary and underappreciated scholarship,” she said. “Sor Juana is a very important and famous historical figure in Mexico; she has even been featured on the currency!” Sor Juana is known as an early feminist who realized marriage would prevent her from the education and opportunities that she prized. After teaching Greek, Latin, and Nahuatl to herself at a very early age and having her intellect tested by the finest minds in the world, her potential as a scholar could not be denied. She chose to become a nun, because that calling was one of the only paths available to women of her time to scholarship. She is now widely recognized in Mexico as one of the founding literary minds of New Spain (the Americas).
While all forms of comedia include the use of archetypal characters, one notable omission from this play is the innocent, unsophisticated role of the ingenue, which became known as a staple character in the male-playwright-dominated classical cannon. These characters – especially the women – are multi-dimensional: strong, savvy, brilliant. In the student body at UVA, Rebek found all these qualities and more. These students, whether they major in Archeology, Chemistry, Drama, or are undeclared, have impressed her with their dedication to the show and the process. “They are bringing their A-game to this project: coming in early, prepared, and enthusiastic. Most importantly, they arrive ready to be brilliant and have fun.”
Whether working in theater or opera, Rebek believes that in every ensemble piece, “fun is a requirement; that is non-negotiable.” While this certainly applies to having fun in the room, during the rehearsal process (much laughter can be heard drifting out of the Ruth Caplin Theatre on rehearsal nights), it extends to ensuring the audience is assured a good time through may twists and turns. The narrative often moves fast and is filled with complications like masks and trickery, so Rebek and costume designer Grier Coleman have worked up a way to maintain a simpler visual story, with character color coding. “This will help us create a map for audiences to lead them through the maze, so that they can enjoy the story even while they are getting tangled up in the adventure,” Rebek said. Rebek is also teaming with composer Angela Ortiz and set designer Juliana Barreto, both Latina women who bring a deep appreciation of the work and its cultural meaning.
In addition to being a landmark production, Rebek was drawn to the many parallels between the time that inspired this play and the world we are living in today. “In Sor Juana’s time, New Spain was establishing itself as a new country and thinking about what makes a great leader. This play asks those same questions,” she said. “We open the week of an incredibly important election,” she added. “I cannot think of a better demonstration of how important it is to keep asking ourselves what qualities we want in our leaders, and to get out and vote for them!”
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Tickets for Love is the Greater Labyrinth are sold through the UVA Arts Box Office and are available online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu, by phone at 434-924-3376, or in person at the UVA Arts Box office located in the lobby of the Drama Building. Hours of operation are noon to 5PM, Tuesday through Friday. Free parking for UVA Drama performances is available at the Culbreth Road Parking Garage, conveniently located alongside the theaters.