Casa Feliz: An Audio Drama About Belonging

The 300 Days of Sun producers are pleased to present Casa Feliz, an original audio drama by Francisco de la Calle, directed by Alesya Petty, and performed by a diverse, all-campus ensemble coached by SarahKate Anderson of the Department of Film & Theatre.

Casa Feliz narrates the story of a psychiatric sanatorium threatened by an advancing battlefront. When the staff abandon the institution, the patients most capable of caring for others assume responsibility. Joined by the cook-the only staff member who refuses to leave-and her two daughters, they transform the abandoned asylum into a fragile community built on compassion rather than fear.

At its heart, Casa Feliz is a quest for identity through agency. We are our mission in a world indifferent to us. “We are ambassadors.” Existentialism has attracted thinkers rooted in Christian belief, such as Miguel de Unamuno, as well as atheists such as Jean-Paul Sartre. Casa Feliz finds common ground between these two traditions in a dramatic work in which human responsibility ultimately prevails over any cause we invoke to justify our actions

The ensemble comprises faculty members from the Colleges of Business, Engineering, Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts, as well as SJSU staff members, alumni, and students. Together, they represent the vibrant diversity of the SJSU community.

This audio show will bring the selected audience into the same intimate space as nine audio actors, a narrator, a sound designer, and a recording team, all working under the direction of Alesya Petty.

Sponsored by a College of Humanities & Arts Artistic Excellence Programming Grant.