The New Dress was a challenging story to transpose into a stage play, mainly because of its intricately detailed yet confusing descriptions and stream-of-consciousness narrative. It is almost universally agreed that the story's plot is dull, flat, and has little conflict to speak of. Its highly period-specific nature required us to delve into the depths of the internet for research materials that would shed light on the post-Victorian world Virginia Woolf had written her characters into. The author had woven numberous symbols and metaphors into her story, all of which we strove to include in our theatrical production. These symbols, however, scarcely translate well into a live adaptation, making our script even more difficult to write.

 

At first, trying to make sense of the story was like trying to make out vague figures in an ever-shifting fog. Every single aspect of the story was written through the eyes of the somewhat delusional Mabel Waring (played by Chrissa Zafranco), a complex and layered character whose internal battle reflected Virginia Woolf's own mental struggles. To understand the story, we needed to understand Mabel. As the story progresses, she crumbles under the merciless onslaught of her anxiety, which was further fueled by the criticisms of her peers. Her anxiety and growing self-hatred was a key factor in the story, so we decided to portray it as a character---the "second" Mabel Waring (played by Sofia Sundiang). She embodies Mabel's thoughts and voices them out as a phantom whose presence is known only to Mabel. We felt that this woul help the translation from story to script flow more smoothly.

 

We've spent countless late nights analyzing  and discussing the material, and we sincerely hope that you all enjoy what we've come up with.