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- El sí de las niñas
- Staging information
El sí de las niñas (c.1801), Leandro Fernández de Moratín
- Scene
El sí de las niñas is made up of three acts which all take place in the inn at Alcalá de Henares.
The action begins at 7.00 p.m. and ends at 5.00 a.m. the following morning.
- act 1 is made up of 9 scenes
- act 2 is made up of 16 scenes
- act 3 is made up of 13 scenes
- Staging
General
- All the action takes place in an inn situated in Alcalá de Henares, a city close to Madrid.
- The stage is to be set up as a hallway with four numbered doors leading off to four guest bedrooms. At the back of the stage is the large common area of the inn with a stairway leading to the floor below. There is a window at one side. In the middle of this room is a table with chairs and a bench.
- When Doña Irene and her daughter Doña Francisca first appear on stage at the end of act 1 scene 1 they appear in long scarves and skirts.
- In act 1 scene 2 Francisca arrives carrying little gifts she has received in a handkerchief:
- rosary beads made out of mother-of-pearl
- crucifixes made out of cypress wood
- the Rule of Saint Benedict
- a little glass baptismal font
- talcum powder
- a little clay bell
- In act 1 scene 5 Don Diego prepares to temporarily leave the guesthouse. He puts on a hat and carries a stick.
- In act 1 scene 7 Calamocha appears carrying suitcases, boots and whips for the horses.
- In act 2 scene 16 Rita appears with Doña Irene’s caged thrush. In act 3 scene 1 the cage with the thrush is resting on the table and in act 3 scene 5 the cage is hung on a nail on the wall by Rita.
- In act 3 scene 1 a lit candle rests on a table.
- In act 3 scenes 1 and 2 music is heard from the street below.
- In act 3 scene 2 the love letter from Don Carlos is thrown onto the stage from the window that Rita and Francisca lean out of to hear the music.
Lighting
The use of light in the play symbolically reflects the action. As Francisca gets increasingly desperate that her marriage to Don Diego is inevitable, the stage gets darker as night falls. Act 2 begins in darkness: Francisca stands alone in darkness in act 2 scene 1, and in scene 2 Doña Irene complains that Rita has not brought light and has left her in darkness (symbolising the fact that Doña Irene is ignorant about her daughter’s true feelings). In act 2 scene 3 Rita enters carrying lights. The stage is briefly plunged into darkness again in act 2 scene 13 as Don Diego reflects on whether his nephew knows about his plans or not.
The beginning of act 3 is shrouded in darkness. In the preceding scene, Francisca is distraught – believing that she has been cheated by Carlos. The dark stage reflects the diminishing of hope that true love will prevail over Don Diego’s wishes. In act 3 scene 8 the stage slowly becomes brighter, depicting the start of a new day. In this early morning light the true love between Don Carlos and Francisca is revealed and, eventually, accepted by everyone.
- Music
In act 3 scene 1 the residents of the inn hear music coming up from the street.
- Cast number
-
Minimum Maximum 4 males 4 males 3 females 3 females 7 (total) 7 (total) - Cast information
- The name of Doña Francisca sometimes changes to ‘Paquita’. This is more familiar name that is used by other characters to show endearment towards the young girl.
- Characters
- DON DIEGO, Wealthy 60-year-old gentleman
- DON CARLOS
- DOÑA IRENE
- DOÑA FRANCISCA, Also called PAQUITA
- RITA
- SIMON
- CALAMOCHA
Entry written by Gwynneth Dowling. Last updated on 12 November 2010.
