Thursday, September 19

Tag: Within Theatre Company

1984 – Summerhall, Old Lab
Scotland

1984 – Summerhall, Old Lab

I do not wish to state the obvious, but I will, this play is set in 1984 and written by George Orwell in 1949.  In just thirty-five years from writing his novel, Orwell was imagining a time when the government would be an oppressive, intrusive, dictatorship, ruling our society.  He imagined us with no rights to free speech, and a punishing regime ruled by terror.  Within Theatre Company, (with Sophie Vallee in the directing chair), have taken Nick Hern’s script adapting the novel for theatre, and wrapped a message inside of it – that this is happening in places around the world today, places that they know…their homes!  Unable to perform in their home countries of Russia and Belarus, they are performing 1984 in the UK.  And, 40 years on did Orwell predict the future correctly? ‘1984’ wa...