Headlong's 1984 returns to the Playhouse Theatre
THIS SUMMER, Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s critically acclaimed adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, 1984, returns to the Playhouse Theatre for a 12 week run (June 12 to September 5, 2015) prior to international and UK tours.
April, 1984. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith, thinks a thought and starts a diary. But Big Brother is always watching, and the door to Room 101 can swing open in the blink of an eye.
The definitive book of the 20th century is re-examined in a radical, award-winning adaptation exploring surveillance, identity and why Orwell’s vision of the future is as relevant now as ever.
A Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse and Almeida Theatre production, 1984 is presented by Sonia Friedman Productions and Eleanor Lloyd Productions.
1984 has set and costume design by Chloe Lamford, with lighting design by Natasha Chivers, sound design by Tom Gibbons and video design by Tim Reid. Casting and full tour details will be announced shortly.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown continues at the Playhouse Theatre until Saturday, May 23, 2015.
In September, Jeremy Herrin, Artistic Director of Headlong, will direct Duncan Macmillan’s People, Places and Things in a co-production with the National Theatre.
And in November, the Headlong, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and West Yorkshire Playhouse production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie will tour to Richmond Theatre (November 2 to November 7 – exact dates to be conformed).
A frustrated mother, a daughter lost in her imagination, and a son intent on rebellion.
By night, Tom lives the life of an assassin, an outlaw, a czar of the underworld, via his trips to the movies. By day, he works in a factory. The air in the apartment he shares with his mother Amanda and his sister Laura is thick with the scent of sickly sweet flowers and Amanda’s nostalgia. Laura barely survives it, a shadow of herself. She clings desperately to her only solace, her beloved glass menagerie.
When Amanda insists Tom bring home a gentleman caller for Laura, the fragile dreams of all three are shattered with consequences they may never escape.
The Glass Menagerie will be directed by Ellen McDougall and designed by Fly Davis, with lighting by Richard Howell, sound by Gareth Fry and video design by Ian William Galloway. Casting will be announced shortly.
The tour will commence at West Yorkshire Playhouse (September 12 to October 3) before continuing to Liverpool Playhouse (October 7 to October 31), Richmond Theatre and Warwick Arts Centre (dates tbc).
Jeremy Herrin said: “I’m delighted that 2015 at Headlong will see us engaging with audiences all over the country and around the world. We continue to give regional audiences the best in contemporary work by a new generation of theatre-makers, with the brilliant Ellen McDougall’s The Glass Menagerie.
“Only a week since The Nether finished its award-winning run, it’s great to announce that 1984 will return to The Playhouse, continuing our mission to provide exhilarating and accessible work in the West End. Robert Icke & Duncan Macmillan’s show will then further Headlong’s progress as an international company by touring the world.
“I’m also particularly excited to be directing Duncan Macmillan’s playfully smart and deeply emotive new play People, Places and Things at the National at the end of the summer.
“I believe that in the face of uncertainty in the funding landscape (and on the eve of a possible new government) it’s up to national companies like us to push ourselves to greater creative heights, continually making the case for the vitality of our theatre culture; working with our partners to make that case on stages around the country, the capital and the world.”