1984

George Orwell’s classic of dystopian fiction is pulled screaming into the present day in a bold, fragmentary and experimental adaptation by Robert Icke and Duncan McMillan, staged by the d’Overbroeck’s Drama department.
As Winston Smith puts pen to paper, he is committing the ultimate offence: thought crime. Life would be easy for Winston if he could keep his head down, but something is sticking in his brain that he can’t shake, an itch that can’t be scratched – is everyone being lied to? Why does the chocolate ration keep being raised to twenty grams? Who is the country at war with? Why is nobody questioning anything? Can he say that it even is 1984? And where exactly does Winston think he is?
In a culture where our perception of the world is mitigated by screens, d’Overbroeck’s invites you to switch off your devices while you still can for a live experience that will make you question everything. Because in 2026, Big Brother is you, watching.
This adaptation was first produced as a co-production between Headlong and Nottingham Playhouse on 13 September 2013. Following a national tour, the play opened at the Almeida Theatre, London on 8 February 2014 before transferring to the Playhouse Theatre, London on 28 April 2014. This is an amateur production presented by arrangement with Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.

d'Overbroecks
GS