Dal鈥檚 Fountain School of Performing Arts ushers in its 2017-2018 season this week with a stage production of 鈥淥rlando,鈥� Virginia Woolf鈥檚 classic novel of human transformation.
Directed by Fountain School acting alum Matthew Thomas Walker (BA鈥�05), the Dal production is based on American playwright Sarah Ruhl鈥檚 2003 adaptation of the 1928 book.
Reimagining 鈥淥rlando鈥� for the stage is no small feat, considering it jumps around the world and spans five centuries. Centred on a main character that starts out as a nobleman in 16th century Elizabethan England before transforming halfway through the play into a woman, the story also explores different notions of gender and sexuality.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful piece for a university,鈥� says Walker, who took a brief break from his work as co-artistic director at Toronto鈥檚 Litmus Theatre to return to his alma mater to direct. 鈥淚t has a lot of room for play and for a class to create its own version of the story.鈥�
Jonah Campbell.
Walker鈥檚 two-act production clocks in just shy of 90 minutes, with its protagonist bouncing around from place to place and into new romantic relationships 鈥� first as a man and then later as a woman.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fascinating, fast-paced journey where you are watching just how perceptions about gender dictate the course of this person鈥檚 life,鈥� says Walker.
Walker has spent the last few years of his career bringing non-theatrical material to the stage, including his own adaption of the famed Aldous Huxley masterpiece 鈥淏rave New World.鈥�
With 鈥淥rlando,鈥� the director saw a chance to follow Ruhl鈥檚 many cues to make novel choices with certain aspects of the work and really tapped into the unique talents and perspectives of his ensemble of fourth-year honours students to help shape the final production.
(L to R): Maggie Andersen, Ryan Gallant, Taylor McMillen, Megan Fenchak.
About 90 per cent of the sound design is done live, for instance, with actors using their many musical talents on trombone, trumpet and other instruments to help bring the work to life through songs and sound affects.
鈥淎t first it was a lot to juggle,鈥� Walker says, of the actors doing double duty as musicians, 鈥渂ut now they鈥檙e mastering it and it鈥檚 quite fun.鈥�
Like Ruhl, Walker has made a point of trying to channel some of the original story鈥檚 humour and whimsy onto the stage while not losing sight of the deeper meaning.
鈥淚t just kind of bounces along, but it鈥檚 got this poignant underbelly that I think speaks quite loudly amidst the whimsy,鈥� he says.
鈥淥rlando鈥� opened Tuesday night and runs daily at 7:30 p.m. through Saturday with an additional matinee Saturday at 2 p.m. Limited tickets are still available.
