A production in Cypriot Greek and Cypriot Turkish brings a unique adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre to the stage. Translated to Blood Wedding, or Matomena Stefana, as the upcoming production is called, the performance gives the Spanish tragedy a Cyprus focus, relocating the plot to a mixed village in Cyprus in the early 1960s.

Presented by ETHAL, with a bicommunal cast of actors, the production forms the second part of a trilogy that began with The Island and delves into ETHAL’s 2025–2026 thematic focus: Language, communities, communication, dialogue, multiculturalism and collective memory.

Love and death intersect with political and social division in Matomena Stefana and through the words of Lorca, the play engages with history, memory and the wounds of the land. Hosted at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre for one night only (May 23), the adaptation sheds light on the complex identity of Cyprus at a time when love, honour and blood take on a tragically contemporary relevance.

“Matomena Stefana is not simply a Cypriot version of Lorca,” say organisers, “it is an act of cultural reconciliation. Through love and death, the play becomes a bridge between two communities and two languages. This Cypriot adaptation of Lorca’s tragedy captures the past, speaks to the present, and envisions a future where, perhaps, the ‘blood wedding wreaths’ may once again become wreaths of peace.”

Matomena Stefana

ETHAL’s adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s ‘Bodas de Sangre’ play. With a bicommunal cast of actors. May 23. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. In Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot. https://www.more.com/cy-en/tickets/theater/matomena-stefana/