1984 By George Orwell Adapted by Steve Cowley and Greg Marshall, November 2008 performed by National Diploma Year 2, Solihull College Performing Arts, UK Performing Arts Web Site: www.solihullarts.org.uk College Web Site: www.solihull.ac.uk Contact Number: 44 (0) 121 678 7000 Website development, videos, photographs and Youtube -- Greg Marshall
The National Diploma students have put into practice what they have learnt over the last ten weeks; understanding the context of 1984 and developing their characterisation. This performance makes use of Physical Theatre to emphasise the emotions and ideas that are represented in the text of the Play.
Synopsis
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a 1949 English novel about life under a futuristic authoritarian regime in the year 1984. It tells the story of Winston Smith, a functionary at the Ministry of Truth, whose work consists of editing historical accounts to fit the government's policies. Smith is degraded and tortured after he is arrested by the Thought Police under the instruction of the totalitarian government of Oceania.
The intellectual Winston Smith is a member of the Outer Party, lives in the ruins of London (the "chief city of Airstrip One", a province of Oceania), who grew up in the post-World War II United Kingdom, during the revolution and the civil war. As his parents disappeared in the civil war, the English Socialism Movement ("Ingsoc" in Newspeak), put him in an orphanage for training and employment in the Outer Party.
One day in the office, a woman surreptitiously hands him a note. She is "Julia", a dark-haired mechanic who repairs the Ministry of Truth's novel-writing machines. Before that day, he had felt deep loathing for her, based on his assumptions that she was a brainwashed, fanatically devoted member of the Party; particularly annoying to him is her red sash of renouncement of and scorn for sexual intercourse. His preconceptions vanish on reading her hand-printed note: "I love you". After that, they begin a clandestine romantic relationship, first meeting in the countryside and at a ruined belfry, then regularly in a rented room atop an antiques shop in the city's proletarian neighbourhood. The shop owner chats him up with facts about the pre-revolutionary past, sells him period artifacts, and rents him the room to meet Julia. The lovers believe their hiding place paradisiacal (the shop keeper having told them it has no telescreen) and think themselves alone and safe.
As their romance deepens, Winston's views change, and questions Ingsoc. Unknown to him, the Thought Police have been spying on him and Julia. Later, when approached by Inner Party member O'Brien, Winston believes that he's come into contact with The Brotherhood, opponents of the Party. O'Brien gives him a copy of "the book", The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, a searing criticism of Ingsoc said to be written by the dissident Emmanuel Goldstein, the leader of the Brotherhood; it explains the perpetual war and exposes the truth behind the Party's slogan, "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength."
Loudspeaker Voice 1 - Clare Lescott
Loudspeaker Voice 2 - Gemma Underwood
Loudspeaker Voice 3 - Brett Mannion
Big Brother - Stephen Elkin
Goldenstein - Holly Burke
Winston Smith - Caprene Bartley
Syme - Lauren Langford
Parsons - Matt Ford
Messenger - Brett Mannion
Coffee Vendor - Erika Francis
First Guard - Clare Lescott
Party Member - Michelle McClean
OBrian - Josie Okeghie
Julia - Kate Walker
Gladys - Abbi Smith
Landlady - Alice White
Martin - Katie Thomson
Prisoner 1 - Stephen Elkin
Prisoner 2 - Erika Francis
Prisoner 3 - Abbi Smith
Waitress - Erika Francis
Vox Populi - Brett Mannion
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6:55
Big Brother part 9 of 13, Solihull College, Performing Artsby gregmarshall2182 views
@JhnJhnsn2002 ... an unword? ... i have no idea what you're talking about.
SkinnyClown 9 months ago
@SkinnyClown Thoughtcrime! "Babe" is an unword!
JhnJhnsn2002 9 months ago
The girl talking at 0:55 is a babe ;)
SkinnyClown 2 years ago