Photos: Theatre Pro Rata Presents ORLANDO By Sarah Ruhl

Theatre Pro Rata presents Orlando by Sarah Ruhl at The Crane Theater this spring under the direction of Carin Bratlie Wethern. Ruhl's theatrical adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel premiered in New York City in 2010 and artfully plays with the attributes of gender, sexuality, identity, and freedom in both blithe and earnest ways.

In a magical dream of history, Orlando lives from Renaissance England to the twentieth century. His life begins as a beautiful and charismatic nobleman, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, and the lover of a Russian princess. Heartbreak and a hunger for adventure and poetry lead Orlando to Constantinople where a night of debauchery sparks a transformation: Orlando becomes a woman and continues her adventures through several more centuries of challenges and passions. Virginia Woolf penned her novel in celebration of her friend and contemporary Vita Sackville-West who was a prolific writer and a notorious lover. Sarah Ruhl's adaptation is sexy and surprising, blithe and earnest as it artfully plays with the attributes of gender, sexuality, identity, and freedom.

"Orlando is a fanciful journey of self-discovery; it is magical at every turn. Virginia Woolf's story which was first published in 1928 has proven timeless because the search for love is universal, and a story of transformation feels particularly compelling right now," says Carin Bratlie Wethern, Theatre Pro Rata's Artistic Director who is directing this production. "I'm thrilled to dig into this script with these artists because they are each so well suited to its whimsy and silliness. It will be the perfect thing to get us through the tail end of a Minnesota winter and the transition into the promise of another spring!"

Photo Credit: Alex Wohlhueter