ORWELL – The Road to 1984

ORWELL – The Road to 1984, adapted by Guy Smith with additional material by Mark Stratford.

Through Orwell’s words, experience the stories that led to his greatest work. The play tells the compelling story of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and the extraordinary personal experiences that inspired his famous novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

These classic tales which warn of the dangers of totalitarianism – erosion of free speech, abuse of power, increasing control of all aspects of our lives – resonate now more than ever. Orwell’s dystopian concepts such as ‘Big Brother is watching you’, ‘Room 101’ and ‘thoughtcrime’ have become everyday phrases. But where did his vision of the future come from?

In this powerful and moving play, Mark Stratford takes you on a fascinating journey through the extraordinary experiences that shaped the work of this perceptive and compelling writer.

In Orwell’s words, we travel through many of the remarkable episodes in his life including his time at a grim boarding school, being a police officer in colonial Burma, his adventures tramping through England to live among the poor and underprivileged, and his extraordinarily close shave with death in the Spanish Civil War.

“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie I want to expose.” (George Orwell).

Directed by Guy Smith

Performed by Mark Stratford

Presented by Stratford Productions

Running Time : 1 hour 20 mins (no interval)

Age Advisory : 12+

Trigger Warnings: Description of a hanging and the death of an animal

Start time 7.30pm

Tickets £15