Production photographs : Press Release : Review
(download as pdf file)
A Northern Broadsides/The Dukes, Lancaster production in association with Stroud Theatre Company
1984
Big Brother is Watching You
16 September – 9 October 2010
For the first major production for Autumn 2010 The Dukes, Lancaster has teamed up with nationally-acclaimed touring theatre company, Northern Broadsides, to create a stunning new version of George Orwell’s 1984. The production, which will include animation and film sequences alongside the live action on stage, will open at The Dukes in September before going on to tour the country.
George Orwell’s nightmare vision of the future, 1984, re-imagined for the stage by prolific playwright Nick Lane, opens at The Dukes on Thursday 16 September.
In an oppressive world of perpetual war, Big Brother watches over all and the Thought Police rule with an iron fist. A solitary disillusioned figure, Winston Smith, wants a different life. But what begins as an act of rebellion and hope becomes a nightmare of doomed love, personal betrayal and terrifying political assimilation.
From the Party lies of the Ministry of Truth to the blind hysteria of the Two Minutes Hate, the calculated manipulation of Doublethink, Newspeak and Thoughtcrime to the sheer terror of Room 101, the audience will be immersed in a world that is frighteningly familiar.
Following on from the public and critical success of The Canterbury Tales, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, which played to packed audiences at the Lancaster venue, Associate Director Conrad Nelson’s new production is set to explode on stage with the celebrated grit, edge and vitality of this outstanding company, together with Nelson's trademark energy, ear for language and instinct for the pulse, nerve and sinew within the script. The production will be the most technically advanced the company have ever staged.
Northern Broadsides is one of the country’s finest theatre companies with a world-wide reputation for producing outstanding productions of classic drama. Their charismatic cast of multi-talented actors generate a fantastic rapport with the audience, and perform with remarkable energy and spirit. Recent Northern Broadsides productions have included the critically acclaimed The Canterbury Tales and Othello, featuring Lenny Henry.
1984’s cast features Nick Haverson (Appeared in Tim Burton’s Sweeny Todd, the forthcoming Jack Black film Gullivers Travels and Ashes to Ashes), Kate Ambler (A Man with Two Gaffers, Northern Broadsides), Chris Garner (Mistresses, BBC and A Black Heart of Petty Malice, Soho Theatre), as well as Andrew Price and Carolyn Tomkinson. The production is directed by Conrad Nelson (Canterbury Tales), designed by Sue Condie, with Brent Lees (lighting), David Phillips (Audio Visuals) and Rob Pointon and Karen Sayle (Animation).
1984 runs from Thursday 16 September – Saturday 9 October. Tickets cost from £8 to £17 and can be booked at The Dukes Box Office on 01524 598500