The Conduct of Life

In an unnamed Latin American country, surrounded by poverty and violence, Lieutenant Orlando resolves to rise in the military ranks by any means necessary. He feeds his violent impulses by torturing prisoners, and even kidnaps a homeless girl named Nena, locking her away and sexually abusing her whenever the mood strikes. Even as Orlando descends into the grim savagery of his desires, the women around him--his wife Leticia, servant Olimpia, and victim Nena--strive to maintain hope that the world can be better. As Nena tells Olimpia, “I want to conduct each day of my life in the best possible way.” Her optimism exemplifies the complex power structures of the play: between husband and wife, masters and servants, the rich and the poor. With touches of Epic Theatre and Absurdism, Maria Irene Fornés’ The Conduct of Life is a forceful examination of how hope struggles to survive during the brutality of war.