VALDOSTA — Many audiences have heard of “cloak and dagger” tales but Valdosta State University Theatre & Dance is introducing a play of “petticoats and perseverance.”

VSU Theatre opens “The House of Desires” by playwright Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, adapted and translated into English by Catherine Boyle. 

The play is a farce that relies on the wit and ingenuity of its female characters to overcome the plot of mistaken identities, romance and intrigue, said Dr. Melissa R. Porterfield, the show director.The play is VSU Theatre & Dance’s seasonal period production. It is a comedy from the Spanish Golden Age, according to university officials. Written in the 1800s and more recently adapted to English, the play is a romantic farce of a brother and sister caught in a web of desires with four other people. 

The play was written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican nun, which translated means Sister Joan Agnes of the Cross. She adapted the play from a Spanish play written by a man. She turned his tale into a farce with strong female characters.

Though a farce, Sor Juana dedicated her life and work to women’s causes and intellectual pursuits.

She was born out of wedlock and became the teacher of the children of viceroys and vicereines (the wives of the viceroys). 

She was pursued by men and received many proposals but she had no interest in the romantic propositions. She became a nun so she could tend to her intellectual pursuits of study and writing poetry without being pursued by men. 

The vicereines supported her studies and writings as Sor Juana became more vocal in her support of women’s rights and their involvement in the church.

She wrote that women should have the right to study and interpret the Scriptures, Porterfield said. Her philosophy and advocacy led to condemnation from the church.

Church leaders forced her to sell her books and stop her writings. She was ordered to focus her attention on the poor. She contracted the plague and died, Porterfield said.

“The House of Desires” falls into her advocacy for women and reveals the hypocrisy of men. She wrote the adaptation without ever having seen a play, Porterfield said.

Despite the sad back story, the wit, perseverance, poetry and philosophy of Sor Juana live on in “House of Desires.”

And, Porterfield said, “on top of that, it’s a really funny play.”

THE CAST: Magda Roub, Jordan Van Dyke, Diamond Smith, Mahogany Wesley, Sarah Mott, Trevor Poli, Drew Chunn, Jackson Whipple, Matthew Cline, Shaunya Evans, Kate Zerbian, Kevin Reyes, Emma Marsico, Shaunya Evans, Emma Marsico, Kate Zerbian, Sarah Suzor.

DIRECTION, PRODUCTION: Dr. Melissa R. Porterfield, director; Ruth A. Brandvik, scenic and lighting design; Phillip Brulotte, technical direction; Esther L. Iverson, costume design; Ali Nicholson, sound design; Ian Andersen, fight choreography; Robert O. Burks, stage manager; Allyson Broyles, dramaturgy.

SHOWTIME

Valdosta State University Theatre & Dance presents “House of Desires.”

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 8-10; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11; 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 12-14.

Where: Sawyer Theatre, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood.

More information: Call (229) 333-5973 or visit www.valdosta.edu/comarts.