Suffolk students will bring Virginia Woolf’s Orlando to the Modern Theatre April 6-9. The play draws on more than 500 years of tradition to address the very contemporary topic of gender identity.
Guest director A. Nora Long, associate artistic director of the Lyric Stage Company, helms this theatrical exploration into the fluidity of self. Student actors will explore themes of time-travel — moving from 17th century Constantinople to Victorian and 20th century England — gender fluidity and transformation.
“Orlando is particularly timely given the current political climate,” says Long. “It has been transformative to work with the students at Suffolk as they explore the fluid landscape of Orlando’s magical world, injecting joy and insight into the production in the most delightful way.”
Managing Director Jim Kaufman says: “Our students are joining the long tradition of performers inspired by Orlando’s story and its roots in mythology, chivalric tales, Ludovico Ariosto’s 1516 epic poem Orlando Furioso, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, composer George Frideric Handel, painters Tiepolo and Ingres, and other artists from the modern era.”
Orlando launches a new collaboration between the Theatre Department and Lyric Stage Company of Boston. When Long directs the Lyric Stage Company’s professional production of Orlando in its 2017-18 season, Suffolk faculty will provide design expertise. Suffolk students will have opportunities to intern on that production and others at the Lyric Stage. The partnership will provide theater students with class workshops and mentoring. Long also will consult the department on new script development, connecting Suffolk students with the Lyric Stage’s rich, award-winning professional program.
Orlando Dates & Tickets
April 6 - 9, 2017
Modern Theatre, 525 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
Tickets: Call 617-573-8282 or visit the Modern Theatre webpage.