Professors Margaret Boyle and Elena Cueto-Asín arranged a night of theater for their students in Hispanic Studies 2409: Introduction to Poetry and Theater. Students traveled to Portland Stage for a new English-language adaptation of a Spanish Golden Age classic. New York playwright and director Dave Dalton created “Love’s a Bitch” based on Tirso de Molina’s Don Juan de las Calzas Verdes. The staged reading featured Bowdoin professor Abigail Killeen, and was followed by a talkback with the artists.
Plot description: Dumped, abandoned, and humiliated, Doña Juana has been jilted by her boyfriend in favor of a richer woman in the big city. But Juana discovers what she’s really made of by dressing as a man, stealing her boyfriend’s identity, and seducing the rich woman before he can reach her. In this free adaption of Tirso’s Spanish Golden Age classic, Dave Dalton shows that love can hurt, heal, and kick a little ass.
