Bryne Teases Out Woolfe's Worth

Author: Zoey Burrows

Young women today are working, learning and writing more than ever before. However, this in no way eliminates their continued need for academic inspiration. On Wednesday, Oct. 22, inquisitive young Middlebury women braved the mounting cold outside to see actress Katherine Bryne's one-woman performance of Virginia's Woolf's classic essay, "A Room of One's Own." Co-sponsored by Wonnacott Commons, the English Department and Chellis House, the performance was well attended. The Chateau's Grand Salon filled to the brim with enthusiastic onlookers, including town residents, Middlebury College professors and friends of the performer in addition to Middlebury College students.

The show started with a brief explanation of the context of Woolf's essay. Upon request from England's only two women's colleges at the time, Nunham and Gurtom, writer Virginia Woolf gave a one-hour long discourse on "women and fiction." Woolf wrote the original speech in 1928 but later expanded it several times. The longest version is the essay readers know and love today. Woolf's message is a simple one - women must have a fixed income and a room of their own to have the freedom to write and create.

The audience hushed when Bryne entered the Salon, confidently dressed in a crisp white suit, delicate brown leather Mary Janes and bright red lipstick. Her first words revealed a sophisticated English accent, catapulting her into a memorized one-hour monologue. Surrounded by the Salon's elegant green-trimmed white walls with arched doors and antique chandelier dangling above the small stage, the audience was immediately transported back to 1928, invited to share an experience with the educated young women of that day. Although there is no record of how Woolf's speech was originally received, the audience left the performance refreshed and inspired.

The set was simple, with a podium, red cushion chair and a wooden table with several books, a glass of water and vase of flowers on top of it. Bryne flitted comfortably and confidently about this arranged element. Following the performance Bryne responsed to a question raised by a student about Bryne's overly-confident enactment of Woolf. Bryne explained that while it is true that Woolf was not a good lecturer, she made the conscious choice to perform with poised mannerisms as it would be more interesting for viewers.

When asked how she chose passages for her performance, Bryne said she "tried to stay to the skeleton of the book." She certainly did justice to the essay, touching at least briefly on all of its most salient points. From the importance of making a good meal to igniting one's own creativity to her "scorn for the reprehensive situation of women" being without their own income to her more central questions of "Why are women poor?" and "Why are so many women's novels influenced by the community sitting room," each topic was rendered impeccably. Bryne's use of body language, movement and particularly her sarcasm toward the end of the discourse made the hour not only entertaining but very telling of Woolf's rebelliousness and cynicism.

After the performance, Bryne explained how she started the show. Ten years ago, in search of a one-woman show to perform, she was encouraged by a literature professor to adapt Woolf's essay for the stage. She has been touring the world ever since, performing primarily for universities and small colleges, as well as at other more exotic venues. Two of her most notable performance venues include the Edinburgh Theatre Festival in Scotland and the Virginia Woolf Festival in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she currently resides. She is a member of the Kestrel Theatre and American Stage in St Petersburg, Fla.