Virginia Woolf’s Orlando: A Biography is a novel that follows the life of a poet who lives for five centuries. Over the course of his life, the poet changes genders. Sara Ruhl‘s stage adaption of the novel is currently being mounted by the Georgetown University Department of Performing Arts.
The focus in Orlando is on how the character Orlando navigates both the delightful surprises and possibilities that their gender fluctuation presents them with and the challenges that the society Orlando lives in imposes upon their pursuit of being fully human and having fulfilling relationships with others. The story also takes advantage of our delight in imagining being close to European royalty and wealth (think Bridgerton and the entire Jane Austen canon). And there is much joy in this story. Though the production could have used more vocal variation to reflect the three centuries that Orlando spans, under the direction of April E. Brassad, the actors give performances that are uniformly thoughtful and spirited.
The performances are given a satisfying frame to operate in. Kathryn Kawecki’s set is essentially two glorified platforms floating in a black neutral space. These platforms effectively reflected Orlando’s complexity and adaptability. The platform on the audience’s left featured multiple levels and depths with a distinctively modern lacquered and abstract feel. The wooden platform on the audience’s right had a verticality that evoked medieval castles and Shakespearean balconies. There was a flow between the two that mirrored Orlando’s journey.
The Dorothy Barnes-Driggers’ costumes also reflected Orlando’s journey in their playful yet judicious exploration of flowing and fluid drapery and glitter.
Lex Allenbaugh’s sound design and Ben Capps’ music worked together to establish an atmosphere that seemed both familiar and unsettling.
April E. Brassard’s directing, combined with Nikki Mirza’s choreography, emphasized the choral nature of the relationships between the individual Orlando and the society that Orlando inhabits. I especially enjoyed Orlando’s encounter with Sasha and their skating on the ice. That was magical.
Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission.
Orlando plays through November 22, 2025, presented by Georgetown University Department of Performing Arts at the Gonda Theatre of the Davis Performing Arts Center, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC. Purchase tickets ($7.18 general admission) online.
Orlando
Adapted by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by April E. Brassard
CAST
Claire Cable (’27), Catherine Hughes (’27), Teddy Lee (27), Elle Marinello. (’28), Charlotte Masi (’27), Minh Phan (’26), Alex Roberts (’26), Karina Satoskar (’29), Julia Small (’27), Alexis Tarumianz (’26), Sky Veil (’29), Julia Wang (’27).
Sound Designer: Lex Allenbaugh
Dramaturg: Ainsley Atwood
PR/Marketing and Community Engagement: Caitlin Lawlor
Composer: Ben Capps
Lighting Design: Callan Daniel
Scenic Designer: Kathryn Kawecki
Costume Designer: Dorothy Barnes-Driggers
Assistant Director: Tommy Gaita
Choreographer and Intimacy Choreographer: Nikki Mirza
Stage Manager: Samba Pathak
