George Orwell’s 1984 (adaptation by Ryan Craig) is as haunting and relevant in today’s world as it was 77 years ago when Orwell wrote the novel.

“Big Brother is watching you always” – this timeless classic follows Winston Smith, a minor member within the ministry of truth who dares to dream of rebellion against the authoritarian state overseen by a party that speaks of the enemy, Goldstein, and wiping any trace of actions that may go against the narrative of the Party.

Winston secretly rebels through writing his disdain for Big Brother and the party – a ‘thought-crime’ which he knows will certainly sentence him to death, with an identity that will no longer exist or have existed, once caught.

This stage adaptation will bring to life the well-known novel.

Main stage performance:

Dress rehearsal: Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Charity performance: Thursday 23rd April 2026

Opening night – Final night performances:

Friday 24th April – Saturday 2nd May 2026

Auditions:

Please read all of the below with character descriptions. If you have any questions or can not make any of the dates, please contact me and we may be able to arrange an alternative date – Guy Conroy-Smith (Director).

There are two sets of auditions. One for actors in the performance throughout the run and another set of auditions for only Video and/or Voice characters. 1984 utilises video recordings, and it is vital these are done before rehearsals start (ideally cast and filmed before the end of 2025).

Those cast in the filming characters are NOT planned to be in the show as they need to not be present. There are certain characters where they are in BOTH, these characters shall be cast and filmed during the main audition slots for the show run.

Additionally, there will be a “mob/crowd” needed for hate week. This will not require any lines or much rehearsal. This will need character to come on stage, scream and shout during the “2 minutes of hate” and then leave. Crowd members will also be used for moving set pieces including the catwalk. These parts do not need to audition but their interest should be sent to the director’s assistant (Linda Vincent).

Audition dates:

Main auditions:

• Monday 5th January 2026, 8pm – Main Stage
• Wednesday 7th January 2026, 8pm – Main Stage
• Friday 9th January 2026, 8pm – Main Stage

Filming Auditions:

• Tuesday 11th November 2025, 8pm – Studio
• Tuesday 18th November 2025, 8pm – Studio

Main Audition Characters:

• Winston (Playing age: 40-60+, Gender Presenting: Male) – Lead role, rarely leaves the stage
  • A weary, introspective man quietly crushed under the weight of totalitarian control. Once blindly loyal to the Party, Winston begins to question the system, rebelling in any way he can think possible. He is Intelligent, cautious, and quietly defiant beneath his surface obedience. His physicality should convey exhaustion, submissiveness, weak confidence. Winston’s character must juxtapose the youthful energy from Julia.
  • Warning: This role contains intimate scenes with the actor playing Julia, including kissing, simulated sex and partial nudity. We will look to accommodate the intimacy scenes in closed rehearsals to ensure everyone involved is safe, comfortable and confident. initially alongside someone listed as the intimacy coordinator.
• Julia (Playing age: 20 – mid-30’s, Gender presenting: Female) – Lead role,
  • Pragmatic, confident and fiercely alive with rebellion beneath her mask of Party devotion. Julia is resourceful, witty and full of youthful energy. Her independence and conviction in a new life should be unmoving. Her relationship with Winston is passionate yet tinged with fatalism – she knows that the relationship is doomed, yet is hopeful she will never be caught, and is somewhat naïve. A sharp contrast to Winston’s melancholy – she represents instinct and desire over ideology.
• O’Brien (Gender presenting: Neutral)
  • A commanding, intellectual presence. Charismatic, enigmatic, and manipulative – O’Brien embodies the terrifying rationality of the Party. He offers Winston a sense of trust and understanding before turning that intimacy into control. Calm, deliberate, and chillingly persuasive in tone. O’Brien needs to be able to play both a terrifying figure as well as a character that can shapeshift into the character that Winston can trust the most. It is envisaged that O’Brien can present the torture scenes with the same confidence and showmanship as a circus leader. This role also contains sensitive scenes of torture and intimidation; we will look to utilise intimacy coordination techniques in this also.
• Parsons (Playing age: 30 -50, Gender: Male)
  • A bumbling, enthusiastic true believer in Big Brother. Cheerful, oblivious, and loyal to a fault. Parsons is both comic and tragic — the perfect product of Party indoctrination. His unshakable faith contrasts sharply with Winston’s doubt.

Ensemble characters:

• Charrington (Gender: Neutral)
  • A seemingly kind, harmless shopkeeper offering Winston a glimpse of the past — a space untouched by Party eyes. Beneath his gentle exterior lies deceit. The actor must balance warmth and menace. It is preferred that the actor leans more into reassuring warmth throughout.
• Medic (Gender presenting: Neutral)
  • A cold, efficient representative of the Party’s clinical brutality. Lacks empathy; functions more like a tool of the system than a human being. Could double as the guard.
• Syme (Gender presenting: Neutral)
  • A brilliant linguist working on the Newspeak Dictionary. Animated, articulate, and disturbingly devoted to the destruction of language. Represents intellectual zeal, their enthusiasm for the Party short-lived. Their capture is an allegory of Icarus, burnt by their own drive.
• Gladwell (Gender presenting: Neutral, Filmed but needs to be present during the show)
  • Loyal to the Party. Junior in their experience, easily impressionable. This character can double as another ensemble character.
• Guard (Gender presenting: Male)
  • • Brutal, disciplined, and unthinking. A physical embodiment of the Party’s authority. Minimal dialogue but commanding stage presence — movement and intimidation is key. This role can double as another ensemble character.

Filming Audition Characters:

• Telescreen (Gender presenting: Neutral, Voice only):
  • Disembodied, authoritarian, omnipresent. The voice should sound both calm and terrifyingly inescapable — cheerful propaganda delivered with menace.
• Big Brother (Gender presenting: Male, Voice, potentially video):
  • A commanding, idealized voice. Warm yet godlike — the tone of absolute authority. Should feel less like a person and more like a god.

• Goldstein (Gender presenting: Male, Video and photos taken):
  • The enemy of the state. Intelligent, composed, and deeply human — his image serves as a tool for mass hatred. This should be sincere and almost desperate in the reasoning given.
• Child (Voice only):
  • Bright and energetic. Innocence twisted into surveillance.
• Mother (Voice, maybe video):
  • Gentle, nostalgic, and deeply human. Represents Winston’s lost past and emotional vulnerability. Her voice contrasts the cold precision of Party broadcasts. Can double as the woman Singing.
• Ampleforth (Video):
  • Intellectual, well-meaning, slightly dishevelled. Symbol of how even harmless creativity is criminalized by owning poetry. Small monologue but embodies the restriction of creative work.
• Gladwell (Gender presenting: Male, Video):
  • A person broken by interrogation. Nervous, haunted, and desperate to please his captors. Can double as the Voice.
• Voice (Gender presenting: Neutral, Voice):
  • Police authorities voice declaring the capture of Winston and Julia. Strong, confident and authoritative.
• Woman Singing (Gender presenting: Female, Singing, voice only)
  • Woman singing “Oranges and Lemons” offstage. Ideally this singing voice is not trained – this voice should sound like a mother’s lullaby – soft and confident

Please contact us via gcs.companyoften@gmail.com if you have any further questions.

Long live Big Brother…

Performances are 14–23 May 2026 in the Studio
Rehearsals start on Sunday 8 March 2026
Auditions are in the Club Room at the Abbey Theatre:

Tuesday 13 January 2026 8–10pm
Thursday 15 January 2026 8–10pm
Sunday 18 January 2026 10.30am–12.30pm

This new adaptation, in a modern-day setting, plays up the humour in Shakespeare’s original to create a great evening’s entertainment.

A list of the main characters is below, with some doubling indicated (in fact, everyone will play more than one part).

All ages are playing ages and are only a rough guide. Actors of any heritage are welcome for all parts.

If you would like to audition, please register with director Alison Wright, by sending an email to kat113@hotmail.co.uk, saying which part(s) you are interested in. The relevant audition pieces will be sent to you — note, there is NO need to learn them, just get a bit familiar with them.

Characters:

BARMAID / GRUMIO (F, 50)

KATHARINA / SERVANT (F, 25–35)

BIANCA / SERVANT (F, 20–30)

BIONDELLO / CURTIS (F, 20–40)

TRANIO (F or M, 20–40) — pretends to be LUCENTIO so needs to be convincing as a male

CHRISTOPHER SLY (M, 50) — onstage throughout

LANDLORD / BAPTISTA (M, 50–60)

PETRUCHIO (M, 30–40)

LUCENTIO (M, 20–40)

HORTENSIO / MESSENGER (M, 20–40) — some musical ability would be welcome!

GREMIO / VINCENTIO / LADY (M, 60)