Three theatres are to mark the 80th anniversary of George Orwell’s Animal Farm with a “dark, contemporary telling” of Orwell’s classic novel.
Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leeds Playhouse and Nottingham Playhouse will co-produce Tatty Hennessy’s adaptation of the “chilling and thought-provoking story of treachery and rebellion” which “provides a timely reminder of the perils of unchecked power”.
Director Amy Leach and designer Hayley Grindle will reunite for the production. They worked together on Leeds Playhouse’s presentation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in 2022 and Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist in 2020.
Leach, deputy artistic director at Leeds Playhouse, said, “I can’t wait to explore Orwell’s timeless fable and to expand on his multi-layered text to delve deeper into themes that relate to the world we live in now and to the challenges we face when power goes unchecked and unity is mired in division.
“In the year that we’ll be celebrating the 80th anniversary of this landmark allegorical story, Tatty Hennessy’s fresh interpretation will be very much of the moment. Designer Hayley Grindle and I are creating an industrial landscape for our cast to explore this chilling tale of treachery and rebellion—a recognisable, relatable world that will prompt us to question whether it’s possible for anyone to stay true to themselves and resist the allure and corruption of power.”
Set and costume designer Grindle added, “creating the world alongside Amy, we’re conjuring pictures that convey circumstances and stories that so many people are experiencing today. The design aims to allow the audience to evoke their own ideas of what they see in the world around us and what happens to individuals when we are on the brink of change.”
Animal Farm will open at Theatre Royal Stratford East from Friday 7 February until Saturday 8 March 2025. It will transfer to Leeds Playhouse from Wednesday 12 until Saturday 29 March and will visit Nottingham Playhouse from Wednesday 2 until Saturday 12 April.