1984

Photo Manuel Harlan

April, 1984. 13:00. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith, thinks a thought, starts a diary and falls in love. But the cold face of Big Brother is always watching and the door to Room 101 can swing open in the blink of an eye. Read more …

The definitive book of the 20th century is re-examined in this radical new staging exploring surveillance, identity and why Orwell’s vision of the future is as relevant now as ever.

The critical consensus

It’s a brave interpretation, one that works wonderfully well.

(*) Michael Cox, Across the Arts, 01/09/2014

The 'two minutes hate' reflects some of the collective bile generated on social media, and when O'Brien states that “People will not look up from their screens long enough to rebel,” it is the most chilling observation of all in a vital reimagining of what looks like the most contemporary of fictions made flesh.

(*) Neil Cooper, Coffee-Table Notes, 01/09/2014

The genius of Orwell’s writing remains undiminished in the hands of Headlong in this sublime production.

Lauren Humphreys, The Public Reviews, 01/09/2014