EIGHTY years ago in Spain a young bride ran off on her wedding night but was dragged back to her village and shunned for her sins.

The tragic true story of love, deceit, fate and vengeance was the inspiration for Blood Wedding, which mixes raw emotion with poetic, dream-like sequences and the sinister character of death stalking the stage.

Director Bronagh Lagan from Leytonstone says: “It starts out very naturalistic, but by the third scene you don’t know where you are.

“There are beautiful moments of surrealism where the moon comes out as a personified character and helps death hunt people down.

“The character of death is on stage in every scene, so it’s obvious the tragedy is going to unfold.“ Set in the 1930s it begins with a mother; still grieving for the loss of her husband who was stabbed and killed during a feud with the rival Felix family. She discovers her son is due to marry an ex-lover of a Felix, but what should be a day of joy, unfolds tragically to a specially composed original live score combining classical Spanish roots with world music traditions.

The star-studded cast includes Nicola Duffett (EastEnders, Family Affairs, Waterloo Road), Tamaryn Payne (Hollyoaks) and Cassidy Janson (Avenue Q and Wicked).

Bronagh has chosen to perform all three scenes without a break and says: “It’s a really fast-paced piece and breaking it up would ruin that momentum.

“And it is all supposed to happen in one day.“

  • The Courtyard, Bowling Green Walk, Pitfield Street, Shoreditch, until November 16, 8pm and also 3.30pm on Sundays. Details: thecourtyard.org.uk