Our perception and portrayal of gender has changed a lot in the last century, but Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel Orlando still feels visionary.
Now the exploration of gender fluidity is brought to life on stage, in a new production merging cinema and theatre. Playwright Alice Birch, who is known for boundary-breaking works including [BLANK] and Anatomy of a Suicide, adapts the novel in collaboration with maverick director Katie Mitchell. It is performed in German with English surtitles.
The titular Orlando travels between different eras, shifting countries, lovers and genders as part of the journey. The stage production incorporates cameras, which our hero/heroine gives knowing glances along the way. Pre-recorded footage, projections, live performance and lightning-quick costume changes blend art and life to bring the multiplicity and formal ingenuity of Woolf's prose to life. Eight actors, a narrator and the technical crew work together in slick synchronisation to create the cross-genre experience.
The production is described as 'an optimistic examination of how people, nature, systems and reigns are in a constant state of flux'.
Tickets for Orlando at the Barbican go on sale from 1 November.
| What | Orlando, Barbican |
| Where | Barbican Theatre, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, E2CY 8DS | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Barbican (underground) |
| When |
02 Apr 20 – 05 Apr 20, 7:45 PM – 9:30 PM |
| Price | £16 - £60 |
| Website | Click here to book and for more information |
