February 12 is opening night for UCR Theatre’s production of “Fuenteovejuna, or Like Sheep to Water.” Published in 1618, this Spanish Golden Age play written by Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio is based on a historical peasant revolt against a tyrannical commander in April of 1476.

It was a time when King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella had a tenuous hold on Spain against Afonso V, King of Portugal. The play opens a month after Spanish forces defeat the Portuguese at the Battle of Toro, but military control is still not assured. Rodrigo Téllez Girón, the 17-year-old Grand Master of the Order of Calatrava, is persuaded by his cousin Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, a commander of the order, to capture the town of Ciudad Real to show loyalty to Afonso V. When the army is gone, the villagers debate the nature of love and go on with their hard lives of shepherding sheep in a drought. Things turn dark when the triumphant Girón and Gómez return. Gómez uses his position in the religious-military order as justification to abuse and rape women and his power to have any who stand up to him beaten and threatened with execution.

“It is very entrenched on the political workings of Spain in 1476, but it’s timeless,” said UCR alumna, lecturer, and director Melanie Queponds of the over 400-year-old play.  “It just continues to resonate, unfortunately, and deeply.” 

The play also brings up important questions that aren’t directly asked but are implicit in the dialogue and action: What is the nature of the tipping point of resistance to a tyrant and, once it starts, where does it end? What are you replacing the old order with? 

After escaping the brutal clutches of the soldiers and the commander, the character Laurencia delivers an impassioned call of action, conveyed with full emotional force by Kylah Kintaudi, a third-year student majoring in theatre, film, and digital production. Will the resistance devolve into its own “Reign of Terror” in the name of Freedom, Equality, and Liberty? It questions the sacrifice of others who have already been beaten and tortured for standing up to the tyrant. What is it to call someone else a coward for not attacking the tyrant, when you have been quiet until you were victimized?

The play makes us think about gender roles. We can think of the Spartan women who told their sons and husbands to either “come back with their shield or on it” and on the other side, rape. What happens when your call to revolution is heeded? It also points to the timeless inhumanity of powerful men who abuse women and to powerful men who use their power to bring peace and humanity even as they think they must uphold traditions of social class and honor.

As a production the set design is stunning. The folk songs that come from the villagers’ hearts are the songs that make us understand who they are as people. We feel a part of community taking part in a wedding when terror starts to descend showing us that even under the yoke of tyranny, community and communal life does and must go on. It is a testament to the director’s talent that of 12 actors in the production, only two have been on stage in performances before. 

This is an emotionally charged production, and the ability of the actors to remain in character as they enact and receive abuse and discover redemption will be something that will stay with viewers. Their artistry will force you to consider where you stand if you have to live under a tyrant as so many others have throughout history. The ensemble creates a performance that will both lift and wrench your heart.

The play runs Feb. 12-21 at the ARTS Studio Theatre. For tickets and more information visit the Fine Arts Ticket Office.

Header image by Erica Tsuei.