THE 75th anniversary of George Orwell’s terrifying dystopia, 1984, is at Bath Theatre Royal until 28th September at the start of a national tour. This new production of an adaption by Ryan Craig, directed by Lindsay Posner, was listed by the Times and Telegraph as one of the top ten theatre events of this autumn.

The production stars Mark Quartley as Winston, the man who tries to find freedom in an all-seeing totalitarian state, and Keith Allen as the sinister O’Brien, with Eleanor Wild as Julia.

On 4th April 1984, Winston Smith, comrade number 6079, starts a diary, a simple act which puts his life in jeopardy. A clandestine love affair with co-worker Julia further enrages the authorities, but can they truly trust each other? And what of the mysterious O’Brien – will he help them overthrow the regime, confront them with their most terrifying fears … or worse?

George Orwell’s masterpiece creates a world where every action is painstakingly monitored and controlled by a powerful regime, where independent thought and choice are relics of an almost-forgotten past. Post-1984 we live in a world where the terms ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Room 101’ are in popular use, but both were born out of George Orwell’s nightmarish novel, published in 1949, with its futuristic world of all-seeing telescreens, Thought Police and insidious Ministries of Truth, Love, Peace and Plenty.

Ryan Craig’s thrilling new multi-media version of Orwell’s chillingly prescient novel promises to be one of the most exciting and talked about productions of the year. Craig’s recent work includes Charlotte and Theodore, which received its world premiere at the Ustinov Studio in February 2023. Nominated as Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2005, he has gone on to win acclaim for The Holy Rosenbergs and Our Class at the National Theatre, and The Glass Room and Filthy Business at Hampstead Theatre.

Photograph of Mark Quartley in rehearsal by Simon Annand