Overview
When Viriginia Woolf chooses to invite an audience to watch the stage adaptation of her wildly imaginative, rollicking and groundbreaking novel Orlando she is surprised when the characters begin to contest the narrative and demand revisions, including songs, dances, and comic interludes. As the rehearsal progresses aspects of Virginia’s life merge with the lives of the characters. After falling in love with her lead character she is led to the realization of the healing and transformative power of love and art.
Casting & Production
Casting
There are 27 characters. The original production had a cast of 13 but with more doubling, tripling and quadrupling of parts the play could be done with a cast of 10 (see below). Orlando 1 and 2 could be played by the same male identifying actor. A smaller cast is possible but would require a specific stylistic approach that would enable even more rapid changes of character.
VIRGINIA WOOLF
ORLANDO 1
ORLANDO 2
ORLANDO 3
POEM
TIME
QUEEN ELIZABETH 1
SUKEY
FAVILLA
CLORINDA
EUPHROSYNE
SASHA
NICHOLAS GREENE
ROSINA
KITTY
ROSE
NELL
PRUE
SHEL
FOP
POPE
SWIFT
ADDISON
HARRIET/HARRY
MODESTY
CHASTITY
PURITY
NOTE ON CASTING
All casting of roles should be diverse and, except for the three Orlando’s, Shel and Virginia, all roles can be gender fluid. However, the characters should appear and be played as their assigned genders in specific historical periods and geographical locations. Shel should be played by the same male identifying actor who plays Orlando 1 or 2. I suggest that The Poem and Time be played by actors who alternately identify as male, female or non-binary. I also suggest that Queen Elizabeth be played by a male identifying actor. It will be very helpful if the actor playing the role of Time is a very good pianist.
List of Characters — 13 Actors
VIRGINIA WOOLF
ORLANDO 1, FOP
ORLANDO 2, SHEL
ORLANDO 3,
POEM, JOHNATHAN SWIFT
TIME, JOSEPH ADDISON
QUEEN ELIZABETH 1, ALEXANDER POPE, NICHOLAS GREENE
SUKEY, ROSINA,
FAVILLA, PRUE, MODESTY
CLORINDA, KITTY, CHASTITY
EUPHROSYNE, ROSE, PURITY
SASHA, NELL
HARRIET/HARRY
List of Characters — 10 Actors
VIRGINIA WOOLF
ORLANDO 1, 2, FOP, SHEL
ORLANDO 3, FAVILLA
POEM, JOSEPH ADDISON
TIME, JONHATHAN SWIFT
QUEEN ELIZABETH 1, ALEXANDER POPE, NICHOLAS GREENE, HARRIET/HARRY
SUKEY, ROSINA, PRUE, MODESTY
CLORINDA, KITTY, CHASTITY
EUPHROSYNE, ROSE, PURITY
SASHA, NELL
Setting
The basic location is the theater in which it is being performed. The performative frame of the play is that we are watching an open rehearsal of a play Virginia Woolf has written based on her novel Orlando. That play travels from the late 16th Century to the present and includes several imaginary locations.
Reviews
“Kevin Kuhlke has written an astonishing new play, merging the life of English writer Virginia Woolf with her own radical creation Orlando.”
—Anne Bogart
“Extraordinary writing, it leaves the audience with a fully embodied emotional, intellectual and spiritual experience. I was more moved by his show than any work I have seen in years.”
—Kate Whoriskey
“THE ADVENTURES OF ORLANDO AND VIRGINIA is a stunningly original theater work. Kevin Kuhlke has done something marvelously creative, imagining Virginia Woolf—the Virginia Woolf we know—in relationship with Orlando, the most inventive of all her characters. The result is delightful, funny, and ultimately serious and deeply moving.”
—Carol Gilligan
“Kevin Kuhlke’s THE ADVENTURES OF ORLANDO AND VIRGINIA is a masterful, deeply moving theatrical experience that transcends adaptation, with a script that is as sharp as it is lyrical, the piece stands out as something truly rare in contemporary theater—a work that is intellectually rigorous, emotionally stirring, utterly joyful and meets the moment with grace and hope. In an era where artistic bravery can feel scarce, this play reminds us of what is possible.”
—Ruben Polendo, Artistic Director of Theater Mitu
“Remarkable, inspired, ingenious…the play is by turns funny, ironic, deeply moving, reflective and smart…a rousingly affirmative play…Kuhlke’s unwavering sense of timing, linguistic dexterity, and humor invites the audience to revel in Woolf’s exhilaration in her own creation. Ultimately it encourages us to embrace creativity in our own lives.
—Ulrich Baer, NYU University Professor and Virginia Woolf scholar
