Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Love and Identity: “Profoundly fluid, poetic” story opens this month at Gamut Theatre

Gamut Theatre’s mission is to tell classic stories in new and exciting ways.

In this effort, they have managed to marry the ideas of “classic” and “contemporary” into one union, taking concepts that should be at odds with each other and letting them flourish together.

Such is the case with their spring showcase production, “Orlando.” Despite being written in 1928, this story is as relevant as ever for those who seek to truly know themselves. In a conversation with the director, Francesca Amendolia, I was able to learn more about the play.

“‘Orlando’ is a profoundly fluid, poetic piece of theater, one that makes unusual demands of the cast and crew and one that asks the audience to embrace that fluidity, to follow Orlando’s story with gentle curiosity and without judgment,” Amendolia explained.

Orlando, a young nobleman in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, yearns for love and adventure and to find his place in the world. So strong is his longing that he becomes untethered in time. Two hundred years of adventures and loves later, Orlando (who is now only 30) awakes from a weeklong sleep to discover she has become a woman. Transformed and yet essentially the same person, Orlando still hungers for adventure and love and understanding. So, has anything really changed?

“As a culture, we’re currently immersed in a long and complicated conversation about gender and gender expression,” Amendolia said. “Because so many young people are at the forefront, it can seem like a very modern conversation, but it isn’t. ‘Orlando’ was written almost a hundred years ago and, when Virginia Woolf titled it a ‘biography,’ she wasn’t entirely joking. The novel’s inspiration, Vita Sackville-West, was not only bisexual but also what we might today call gender fluid—she had a male persona named Julian. ‘Orlando’ reminds us that there’s nothing new about humans trying to figure out who they are.”

And in this vein, Orlando’s experience with loneliness and isolation throughout an extended timeline is very poignant to people right now. As we emerge from a pandemic that has been life-changing for so many, this story about finding your way to an earnest bond with others, while maintaining your own identity, is more relevant than ever.

So, what is “Orlando” really about?

“Orlando” is about finding yourself. “Orlando” is about gender. “Orlando” is about how deeply Virginia Woolf loved Vita Sackville-West. “Orlando” is about loneliness. “Orlando” is about love and loss. “Orlando” is about innocence and maturity. “Orlando” is about creativity and poetry. “Orlando” is about time. “Orlando” is a trans story. “Orlando” is a history, a biography, a fantasy.

“Here’s the real answer—the more we try to categorize ‘Orlando,’ the more we lose the point,” Amendolia said. “Woolf herself didn’t confine ‘Orlando’ to a single genre, instead interweaving fiction and biography, fantasy and history. There’s no single label that we can affix to ‘Orlando.’ There’s no box that ‘Orlando’ can’t kick to pieces.”

Maybe that’s the greatest takeaway for audiences. You can be who you are without trying to fit inside a designated box.

Audiences can expect to feel celebrated and entertained and, hopefully, more connected to each other. The intention of the play is to convey how important every human being is, regardless of how they define themselves.

Amendolia believes that there will be a wonderful aftertaste for those who come out to see this show.

“‘Orlando’ offers a glimpse of something beautiful—a world where people are entirely free to figure out who they are without judgment or restriction or fear, a world in which people can find their voices and then raise them to say true things,” Amendolia said. “For two hours, all of us will be in that world together, and I think that has the power to change us all for the better.”

“Orlando” runs March 12 to 27 at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.gamuttheatre.org or call 717-238-4111.

 

 

UPCOMING THEATER EVENTS
AT HARRISBURG’S PROFESSIONAL
DOWNTOWN THEATERS

 

At Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org
717-238-4111

TMI Improv

Friday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Doors and bar open 45 minutes prior to the performance.

Tickets are $10.

 

“Three Billy Goats Gruff”

Feb. 19 to March 5

Saturdays at 1 p.m.

Group performances available on weekdays. Please contact 717-238-4111.

Tickets are $10.

 

“Orlando”

By Virginia Woolf

Adapted by Sarah Ruhl

March 12 to 27

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Doors and bar open one hour prior to the performance.

Tickets are “pick your price.” You can choose the recommended $38 ticket or a discounted ticket price of $26 or $14.

 

At Open Stage
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736

 

“The Mad Ones”

March 4, 5, 11 & 12 at 7:30 p.m.

March 6 at 3 p.m.

 

The Obstructed View

March 26 at 8 p.m.

 

Harrisburg Black NewsBeat

with Dr. Kimeka Campbell

March 9 & 23 at 8:30 p.m.

 

Court Street Cabaret

March 4, 5, 11 & 12 at 9:15 p.m.

 

“The Diary of Anne Frank”

Staged Read Through

March 17 at 8 p.m.

 

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Continue Reading