Two actors, father and daughter, tell their own story through the words of Virginia Woolf, composing an alternately fanciful, visceral, and vulnerable duet. Playing with language, movement, and dress-up, like children, they put on their own “living-room play.” All the while, wrestling existential questions of gender and fiction: or, what it means to be and why we tell stories. ORLANDO: A Rhapsody is a shared reverie, just as much as it is a quarrel, between two generations and two experiences of art, of life.
This production marks Vinora Epp’s directorial debut; it is conceived and performed by Steven Epp (of The Moving Company) and Vinora Epp.
The run time is 70 minutes with no intermission.
Performance Venue
The Southern Theater
All Performance Dates
Monday, 5/26 at 7:30pm
Tuesday, 5/27 at 7:30pm
Sunday, 6/1 at 7:30pm
Monday, 6/2 at 7:30pm
Content Warnings/Age Recommendations
Contains mature themes, including description of suicide. This performance is recommended for ages 14 and older.
Themes
The performers in this show are approaching the themes of Virginia Woolf’s from different perspectives. There are moments when it takes effort to communicate and understand each other’s point of view. When have you had a hard time understanding someone’s point of view?
Virginia Woolf wrote a novel called Orlando: A Biography. The title of this show has a similar title, replacing Biography with Rhapsody. According to merriam-webster.com, “rhapsody” is defined as:
1 –a portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation
2 – archaic: a miscellaneous collection
3 – (a) a highly emotional utterance; (b)a highly emotional literary work; (b) aeffusively rapturous or extravagant discourse
4 –a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character
Why might they have put this word, “rhapsody,” in the title? How might it contrast with the original novel’s title? What might these definitions express about the intent of the play?
Accessibility
Many performance venues offer accessibility accommodations such as wheelchair seating, assistive listening, sensory ear plugs, ASL interpretation, open captioning, or audio description, among other options. These accommodations are specific to each event, and may not be available everywhere. When registering with us, please let us know what accommodations you need and we will follow up with you!
Transportation
If you do not have access to a ride, call Project Success and we can provide transportation for you. Please let us know if you need a ride when you make your reservation. We will need at least 2 days’ notice to set up transportation.
Additional Media
Here is a brief biography of Virginia Woolf, whose work inspired this play. (This video includes description of suicide.)
The play also includes Woolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own.” Here is a brief summary:
