FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 12, 2000 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE THEATRE TO PRESENT 'BLOOD WEDDING' Drake University Theatre will open its production of "Blood Wedding" on Thursday, Sept. 21, completing the triology of powerful 20th century tragedies by the Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. "Blood Wedding" is directed by Clive Eliott, Drake's Daniel B. Goldberg artist in residence who also directed Drake's productions of "The House of Bernarda Alba" in 1993 and "Yerma" in 1997. First presented in Madrid in 1935, "Blood Wedding" is based on a real occurence. It is the most powerful of the triology in terms of incident and poetic imagery, and tells the tale of a runaway bride and the fatal consequences of her actions. "The play is set in a remote mountainous area of Spain, where life has changed little in hundreds of years and the roots of passion, jealousy and revenge run very deep," Elliott said. "The language of the play reflects these profound emotions in both prose and poetry; the action is fast, driven by a sense of fatalism, culminating in an extraordinary scene of symbolic surrealism where the runaways are betrayed by death and the moon." Performances start at 8 p.m. Sept. 21, 22, 23 and 24 in Studio 55 of the Harmon Fine Arts Center, 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue. Tickets are $4 for adults, $2 for students and senior citizens and free with a Drake ID. Reservations are required due to limited seating. For information or reservations, call the Drake Fine Arts Box Office at (515) 271-3841.