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The International Theatre program糖心传媒檚 production of Orlando promises a 糖心传媒榳ild ride糖心传媒� and a serious reflection on the fluidity of identity.

When the launches its production of 糖心传媒檚 Orlando this October, it joins a trend: an increasing and intensifying interest in the eponymous novel by Virginia Woolf.

Ruhl has described her play, which she wrote in 1998, as true to the story Woolf told in the 1928 book. As she remarked in a 2010 , the icon of literary modernism possessed a mind 糖心传媒渟o incandescent, it was hard to leave anything out.糖心传媒� Woolf糖心传媒檚 novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927) are considered exemplars of modernist experiments in form. But in the context of those works, Orlando has long been seen as 糖心传媒渁n outlier,糖心传媒� according to , a professor of English at Rochester.

糖心传媒淭he kinds of things one associates with [Woolf糖心传媒檚] work are not necessarily things one finds there,糖心传媒� she says. There糖心传媒檚 no stream of consciousness to render the interior life of its protagonist. Instead, Orlando is a satirical and fantastical plot-driven narrative糖心传媒攁nd, as Ruhl has described as 糖心传媒渁 wild ride.糖心传媒�

A 糖心传媒榳ild糖心传媒� exploration of identity and gender fluidity

Orlando is a nobleman who one day, early in adulthood, wakes up as a woman. He糖心传媒檚 born in the 16th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and when the story ends in the 20th century, Orlando糖心传媒攏ow she糖心传媒攊s still alive, and just as remarkably, still youthful.

Ruhl糖心传媒檚 play is one of a few adaptations of Woolf糖心传媒檚 novel, which has also been made into opera and film. An award-winning playwright whose accolades include a MacArthur fellowship, Ruhl has found interest in her play growing in tandem with contemporary fascination with the novel. As the notion of gender fluidity has entered mainstream discourse, the novel has become recognized more widely as far ahead of its time. The English writer Jeanette Winterson, who has penned the introduction to a of the work set for release in 2024, has called Orlando

Clearly, says London, Orlando 糖心传媒渟peaks to queer identities and to nonbinary identities, even if those wouldn糖心传媒檛 necessarily be terms that Woolf was using.糖心传媒� But it also speaks to a universal truth. 糖心传媒淥ne of the things Woolf was trying to address in her writing is the fluidity of all identity. We糖心传媒檙e not simply one thing. Each person has these multiple selves.糖心传媒�

For the cast, serious reflection and roles that are 糖心传媒榓lmost bonkers糖心传媒�

For the college student cast, the timely themes of Orlando have inspired reflection and deep engagement, while the story itself and its theatrical possibilities have made work on the production an adventure.

Orlando is portrayed by Stella Carleton 糖心传媒�26, an English major from Houston. She echoes London, saying 糖心传媒淥rlando is Orlando regardless of which gender they are presenting as, but that gender is still important to the way they move about the world.糖心传媒� And yet, Carleton adds, 糖心传媒淲hile the issues of gender identity are vital and core to the story, I also want to make sure every audience member can find something to take away from the show.糖心传媒�

For Gabriel Pierce 糖心传媒�25, who plays the Archduke Harry糖心传媒攁 comical foil to Orlando糖心传媒攖he experience of working on the production has been transformative. Pierce, a biomedical engineering major from Canandaigua, New York, describes his perspective on gender and sexual identity prior to his work on Orlando聽as 糖心传媒渆ssentially, enough to care, be informed, and do what I could to support movements, but not enough to think of it outside of a political conversation. My interest in gender and gender fluidity has deepened significantly as I糖心传媒檝e worked with my role.糖心传媒�

The kind of evolution Pierce describes reflects the value of theater in teaching and learning, according to , the Russell and Ruth Peck Artistic Director聽of the International Theatre Program.

糖心传媒淭heater is an expression of radical empathy糖心传媒攖he creative and imaginative ability to situate oneself in, and to understand the mind and heart of another,糖心传媒� Maister says. 糖心传媒淭he study and expression of theater teaches students糖心传媒攂e they onstage or off糖心传媒攖o critically grapple with the core questions that underpin our communal humanity, while creating community, empathy, understanding, humility, and compassion.聽And because it is a live event, it is one that happens at human scale but engages the full measure of the imagination.糖心传媒�

Theater can also be, of course, loads of fun. Adds Pierce: 糖心传媒淪ome of these characters and scenes are so whimsical, they are almost bonkers.糖心传媒�

Working with director , cast members describe an environment of creative inspiration and bold experimentation.聽Britt Broadus 糖心传媒�24, who portrays Sasha糖心传媒攖he first love interest Orlando experiences as a woman糖心传媒攕ays, 糖心传媒淯nlike other productions I糖心传媒檝e been a part of, the cast has been able to play an active role in constructing this story together.糖心传媒� An English and psychology major from Damascus, Maryland, Broadus adds: 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檝e been encouraged to bring in our own ideas, music, and dance moves. We糖心传媒檝e all been able to add something which makes it feel like we糖心传媒檝e collectively created this story full of humor, honesty, and passion.糖心传媒�

Pomerantz says this kind of collaboration is vital.

糖心传媒淲henever I begin work with a group of actors, one of the first things I tell them is that if do my job as director the way I believe it should be done, when the audience attends a performance, one of first things they should say or think is that they can糖心传媒檛 imagine this play being able to be done by another group of actors,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭he play should feel so inextricably tied up with this particular cast and this present moment that it should all feel inevitable.糖心传媒�

Pomerantz calls a dance sequence in which each cast member contributed a segment 糖心传媒渙ne of my favorite parts of the show.糖心传媒� Moreover, cast members discussed with him issues relating to gender identity which he says deeply resonate with the play.

糖心传媒淚 have been 糖心传媒榮chooled糖心传媒� by this cast during this process糖心传媒攁nd I mean that in the most positive way possible,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淎nd that has absolutely been part of the thrill of working on this timely material at this particular moment.糖心传媒�

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