George Orwell’s ominous words could not ring more true than they do today. Except this world is one where we have aspired to bring Big Brother into our homes.
Smart phones, Alexa, Siri, Google – even our fridges and dishwashers can listen to us. Our careers, schools, opportunities – even our friends and partners – can be decided for us by an algorithm and we have dumbed down complex debates to a simple “good” or “bad”… thumbs up or thumbs down.
Into this world steps Winston Smith, living a seemingly easy if utterly listless and immobile existence where their every move is watched and listened to. A world where every decision, even romantic relationships, is pre-determined. Where even dreams may not be private and anyone can be made to disappear in a single heartbeat. A world that is not as fictional today as we might think.
This is a brand-new adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece. The setting, characters, style may well be updated and look vastly different from the world Orwell envisaged, but the message is still chillingly relevant.
Adapted by Laura Turner and Stephen Gillard, Orwell suggested from 1948 that the world of 1984 would look like this. What about 2084? Where will we be then?
Stephen Gillard, Artistic Director of The Blue Room and Asylum Players, said: “This will be The Asylum Players’ most challenging show to date. A multimedia-infused performance that asks questions such as: how much are we willing to give up, to protect what we have? How much privacy will we sacrifice to possess the latest technology? How much would we let an algorithm control our lives?”
Dates: 21 – 23 March 2024
Doors open at 7pm, curtain up at 7.30pm
Running time: approx. 2.5 hours with one interval
Address: The Blue Room, Union Road, Lincoln, LN1 3BU
Content warning 18+. Contains scenes of violence, sexuality, nudity, adult themes and scenes that viewers may find upsetting.
Image – Kelsey Benjamin McBride, credit Stephen Gillard.
