Class Discussion of “This House,” by James Graham and student blog reviews of Orlando
Students engaged in a presentation and discussion of This House, by James Graham, which is a political comedy that explores the politics of Westminster at the time of the 1974 British hung parliament. Comparisons were drawn with the current political climate in both the US and the UK.
Excerpts from students' blog reviews of Orlando, a play based on the novel carrying the same name, by Virginia Woolf:
Gabe Zakaraia Cavanagh--The play, based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, follows the life of the titular character who starts out as a nobleman in Queen Elizabeth's court but embarks on a journey that spans multiple centuries. Along the way, Orlando transforms into a woman and faces internal and external challenges as they search for their identity, companionship, and place in the world. This thought-provoking play explores themes of gender, identity, and the fluidity of time, and presents a poignant examination of these themes.
Marion Yager--The overall theme of the play is figuring out "who am I?" The director’s choices helped shape the theme of "who am I?" by the deep scenes being a blank stage and the other scenes have little bits of furniture to fully put the theme forward. The way they took a book and made it into a play was intriguing. Having the author as a role, communicating with Orlando then how they all communicated with the audience, was fascinatingly interesting.
Justin Wade--Regarding the themes of this play, the main ones would be the exploration of gender, love, and purpose. While watching the play, I noticed these themes being conveyed in a strong manner. This is due to Emma Corrin’s portrayal of the titular protagonist, as they quite literally portray Orlando’s personality and character with a mixture of masculinity and femininity. Throughout the play, Corrin gives an electrifying performance that articulates the themes of the novel very well. I must also give credit to the use of lighting and special effects, as they enhanced certain parts of the play and performances. The most notable in my mind being the transition of Orlando, as the other performers and the lights playfully waltzed around Corrin, giving the scene an element of excitement and mysticism.
Quinn Colty-- The play made me feel seen. As a queer person, there is not an outstanding number of media with us in mind. But having a play carefully crafted with queerness in mind has made a beautiful story. I think a moment when I came to that realization was when Orlando (Emma Corrin) changed sex. To her it was no big deal; to others it was. The way this was made possible is that lead actor Emma Corrin is non-Binary and uses they/them pronouns. Having someone like Corrin makes the acting believable and thoughtful.
Carolina Mellado--One theme that I believe to be very significant to this plot was that of Conforming to Society, based on Orlando’s reactions every time they found themselves in a new century. With every new situation, Orlando would go through a change to fit in based on the rules surrounding that era, from wearing the finest clothes and serving as a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I, to donning petticoats and finding a man to marry. In my own opinion, I feel that the changes of time are in some form representing important milestones in Orlando’s journey of self-discovery. By the end of the play instead of jumping to the 21st century, which for a short while I believed would happen, Orlando realizes that though she has matured, she has always been who she was all along.
Jay Pariser--Orlando affected me in a way that resembles my purpose in life as I am currently on the path of my own self-discovery. I was emotionally irked when everyone thought that Orlando passed away and woke up as a young woman because she got what she wanted. I was also curious about the ending because when Orlando saw the bright light at the end, I wanted to know where she was going.
Charlotte Mazur--The important themes and issues of the play are that of answering the questions of “Who am I?” and “Who do I love?” The play affected me because I found that the way that the themes and issues were revealed were interesting and thought provoking to me. For example, in the beginning of the play, Orlando is pushed into having to make a chose as to who they loved and all throughout the story they are asked who they loved.
Ben Trachtenberg--While the play does follow historical events, the nature of Orlando’s sex change is entirely magical and unexplained. I think that this is a strength of the play because it cuts past the real challenges of changing sex and illuminates more the challenges that women have faced through history. As a man, things were easy and inconsequential to Orlando, but as a woman, finding a husband is paramount to survival…To me, the most powerful moment was when I realized that Orlando hadn’t really changed at all other than her sex. She was still the same person with the same sensibilities and mannerisms. Orlando doesn’t change more than superficially yet the world reacts entirely differently to her.
Ariana Ruddy--The moment that moved me was at the end when Orlando started spitting off who he was, not worrying if he was a man or women, but just a person. It also made me think that I shouldn’t worry whether I identify as a woman or a man, but just a person who has difficulties. Emma Corrin’s performance made me actually tear up and almost cry. When she would speak, there would be such seriousness in her voice that it made you stop what you were doing and actually pay attention to what she was saying. There were also parts in the play when she would display comedic timing that would make people laugh.
