Eastern New Mexico University Department of Theatre and Digital Filmmaking presents “The Clean House” October 5-8, 2023.
Portales, NM – Sept. 28, 2023 – ENMU’s Department of Theatre and Digital Filmmaking proudly presents “The Clean House” by Sarah Ruhl, a romantic comedy about loss, love, change, and redemption.
“The Clean House” premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2004, directed by Bill Rauch. It opened Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre in 2006. The Clean House was the winner of the 2004 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“The Clean House” is a romantic comedy about loss, love, change, and redemption, The Clean House is both whimsical and touching. A serious career-oriented doctor, Lane, has hired a quirky Brazilian maid. The only problem is that the maid, Matilde, hates to clean. Instead, she longs to be a comedienne. Lane, the lady of the house, has an eccentric sister named Virginia who’s just nuts about house cleaning. She and Matilde become fast friends, and Virginia takes over the cleaning while Matilde works on her jokes. Trouble comes when Lane’s husband Charles reveals that he has found his soul mate, in a cancer patient named Anna, on whom he has operated. The actors who play Charles and Anna also play Matilde’s parents in a series of dream-like memories, as we learn the story about how they literally killed each other with laughter, giving new meaning to the phrase, “I almost died laughing.” This theatrical and wildly funny play is a whimsical and poignant look at class, comedy, and the true nature of love.
“This play is like a living poem. People see into each other’s daydreams, jokes have magical powers, and love is the most important thing,” said director Leonard Madrid. “As always, ENMU students are involved in every aspect of this production. Design, acting, and stage management. You’ll even see some of them at the box office. It is all part of our department’s mission of training students through hands-on experience. The mission of the Department of Theatre and Digital Filmmaking is to ensure that when students graduate, they will possess the intellectual, creative, and technical skills to self-produce in the modern entertainment industry. Writing, analysis, visual awareness, history of storytelling, and performance are foundations for student success in the dramatic medium.”
“The Clean House” will be performed at ENMU’s Studio Theatre, University Theatre Center (UTC), Thursday, Oct 5, through Saturday, October 7 at 7 p.m. A matinee performance will be on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, at 2 p.m. General Admission is $10 per ticket. Senior Citizens and Active-Duty Military tickets are $7. Tickets can be purchased in advance at enmu.edu/TheatreLive.
For more information, contact the Department of Theatre and Digital Filmmaking at 575.562.2092
