‘Dona Rosita’: Plight of Hispanic Women

“Lorca was the first Spanish playwright to write about human rights, especially the condition of women,” said Margarita Galban, whose staging of Federico Garcia Lorca’s “Dona Rosita the Spinster: The Language of Flowers” (1935) opens Wednesday at Bilingual Foundation for the Arts. “In that era, women had only one role: to marry and have children. When that choice is denied to Rosita, she has nothing.”

When we meet Rosita (played by Elise Hernandez) she is 18, bidding farewell to her fiance, who’s leaving to fulfill a family obligation. For years and years, she patiently waits for his return--only to find out that he has married another. “At 48, she’s an old woman, an old maid,” said Galban. “But the play is not tragic because, really, nothing big happens to her. Nothing happens at all. Nothing changes. That’s what’s so sad.”

Galban, who played the title role of Dona Rosita in Mexico 23 years ago and directed a production in Los Angeles in 1973, was drawn back to the material by a new translation (by Carmen Zapata and Michael Dewell) and what she feels is an ever-timely subject.

“It’s important now, like (it was) 100 years ago,” she said. Galban’s feelings were reinforced during a recent trip to Mexico, where, she noted, “You look around and see the same thing. Women are (often) not allowed an education, so they can only raise children--their own or other people’s. Rosita is the daughter of a wealthy man, but when he died she lost the inheritance because she wasn’t taught to manage the money.”

Although the production itself is large (13 actors will perform English- and Spanish-language versions on alternate nights), Galban feels “the beauty is in its detail--the small, bittersweet touches--and the poetry of the language. It’s like a bunch of roses: soft and tender. With this new translation, I hope American audiences can see and understand the story better. And for (Latino) women, maybe they’ll think a little more about their role in life, their choices.”

ANNIVERSARY: The Los Angeles Theatre Center will celebrate its five years on Spring Street with a black-tie gala at the Biltmore Hotel Crystal Room Thursday at 6:30 p.m. A champagne reception will be followed by dinner and entertainment, courtesy of “The Joni Mitchell Project” cast members Hinton Battle, Noreen Hennessey, Philip Littell, Lisa Stark and Ren Woods. The guest list will include Joni Mitchell, Tyne Daly, Sarah Brightman and new Emmy-winner Ted Danson . . . Speaking of Emmy winners, LATC’s resident scenic designer, Timian Alsaker, took home a statue for his shared art direction of NBC’s miniseries “The Phantom of the Opera.” Tickets to the gala are $250. Information: (213) 627-6500 ext. 245.

THEATER BITS: Amnesty International takes a theatrical detour with its $15,000 production of William Inge’s Death-Row drama “The Last Pad,” opening Oct. 4 at Friends and Artists Theatre in Hollywood. Part of Amnesty’s ongoing campaign to abolish the death penalty, “Last Pad” will be directed by actor Billy Hayes, author of “Midnight Express,” the book-turned-movie on his incarceration in a Turkish jail in the ‘70s. Andy Summers, formerly of the rock group the Police, will provide a score. Three fund-raising events will be held as part of the run.

Los Angeles Theatre Center’s Young Conservatory launches its first year-round season on Oct. 6. The professional training program (for ages 12-18, with a special acting class for students up to age 22) will offer lessons in acting, dance, mime, improv, voice, t’ai chi and political and Latino theater. Students are selected by audition. Tuition for the 10-week fall session is $125 per course; some financial aid is available to qualified applicants. Information: (818) 994-6026.