Purchase College, School of Arts

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By María Irene Fornés

Directed by Shadi Ghaheri

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Cast

Keymer Cuesta | Orlando

Daija North | Leticia

Sanise Lebron | Nena

Eklan Singh | Alejo

Noelle Backman | Olimpia

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Creative & Production

Miles Miranda | Production Stage Manager
Ana Karen Esparza Aguilar | Stage Manager

Quentin Qiao | Props Charge

Hope S. Rector | Costume Designer

Israel Hart | Technical Director

David Aab | Lighting Designer

Julia Little | Sound Designer

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Director’s Note

The Conduct of Life portrays the hierarchy of power in a corrupted society. A society that abusively uses power to control and oppress its own people. Unfortunately, we are all familiar with examples of such societies today! But what is special about Fornes’ Storytelling about the subject is that she is visualizing the hierarchy of this society in a household! In loose sequences of negotiation between Orlando (a Lieutenant commander), and three women: Leticia (his wife), Olimpia (his servant) and Nena (his 12 year-old slave). Husband and wife, Master and Servant, Torturer and victim.
Orlando starts the play by saying “Man must have an ideal, mine is to achieve maximum power.“ He wants Maximum Power! But the question is, what would he be willing to do, in order to achieve this ideal? Who in this society is going to pay for Orlando’s achievement? Fornes questions where the line of tolerance in regard to abuse is for each one of us. When do we stand up and risk our lives to fight the corrupted power!?
In this story, when does Nena stand up for her rights? Where will Leticia stand up for hers? Why does each one of them choose a different conduct of life?
When do each one of us stand up to demand the corrupted power to STOP? Will we ignore the abuse as long as it isn’t our problem? Will we be silent until the violence creeps to our bedroom door? When it does, What will you do?