Nicosia, Cyprus. ETHAL will stage “Matomena Stefana,” a Cypriot Greek and Cypriot Turkish adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s “Bodas de Sangre,” relocating the story to a mixed village in Cyprus in the early 1960s. The production will be presented for one night only at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre on May 23.
Cyprus-focused adaptation with bicommunal cast
Translated as “Blood Wedding,” “Matomena Stefana” shifts Lorca’s Spanish tragedy to a Cyprus setting, placing its themes of love and death alongside political and social division. The performance is presented by ETHAL with a bicommunal cast of actors and will be performed in Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot.
Part of ETHAL trilogy and 2025–2026 thematic focus
The production is the second part of a trilogy that began with “The Island.” It aligns with ETHAL’s 2025–2026 thematic focus on language, communities, communication, dialogue, multiculturalism and collective memory.
Organisers describe aim as cultural reconciliation
Organisers said “Matomena Stefana” is not simply a Cypriot version of Lorca, describing it as “an act of cultural reconciliation” that seeks to serve as a bridge between two communities and two languages. They said the adaptation engages with history, memory and “the wounds of the land,” and aims to capture the past, speak to the present, and envision a future in which the “blood wedding wreaths” may become “wreaths of peace.”
Performance details
“Matomena Stefana” will be hosted at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia, on May 23 at 8.30pm. Ticket information is available at https://www.more.com/cy-en/tickets/theater/matomena-stefana/.
Will you attend “Matomena Stefana” at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre on May 23?
