In January Old Sole Theatre Company presented a revival of Homestead, Steven’s adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s classic La casa de Bernarda Alba at The Tristan Bates Theatre in London.
Old Sole is an emerging theatre production company, founded by James Neale and Jon Parry in 2014.
Formed after training in American Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford College, through a shared goal to create bold, ambitious and unlikely theatre that excites, challenges and inspires.
“Steven Dykes’s direction encapsulates the importance of this play. The juxtaposition between the comedy and childishness of the daughters, and the impending and foreboding religious ideas, creates a forceful atmosphere highlighting the jealousy and desire that exists in the bodies of the domestic home. What makes Lorca’s work and this adaptation so familiar is the relationship between the siblings. The endless bickering and raging jealousy seem all too recognisable, but with a clear tenderness towards each other, the outcome of the play is even more devastating than we can imagine. Dykes’s cast work well to capture the relationship of these imprisoned siblings. Roisin Brehony and Georgia Maskery, as Amy Lynn and Mary Beth, each independently dream of escape in their own way, one through innocence and another through knowledge. Abigail Castleton plays the snobbish and unknowingly immature Agnes, the good girl of the group who is the only one that I feel there is no future for other than marrying a husband. Katie Glaister and Isobella Hubbard stand out as the juxtaposing Adele and Mara Lee. From Glaister’s domineering and rebellious presence to the secrecy of Hubbard, this twosome creates an intense and interesting final scene. Lolade Rufai and Sophie Doherty are not to be forgotten as Clarice and Birdie though – two star figures. They round up everything Lillian, played by the powerful Rebecca Pollock, is missing as a mother and provide a sense of home and comfort to the experience of turmoil.”
http://www.ayoungertheatre.com/review-homestead-tristan-bates-theatre/
