George Orwell's 1984 Will Open in February at 18th & Union
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 29, 2020
Radial Theater Project and 18th & Union will present a live stage production of George Orwell's 1984, opening February 21, 2020 at 18th & Union in Seattle's Central District.
Based on the iconic novel by George Orwell, 1984 is the story of Winston Smith, an insignificant party member in the giant machine state of Oceania. Physically and mentally under the omnipresent eye of Big Brother, Winston has been caught struggling for scraps of love and freedom in a world awash with distrust and violence. With the brutal "assistance" of four Party Members who reenact scenes from his diary, Winston is forced to confess his Thoughtcrimes before an unseen inquisitor.
The cast of 6 includes Ryan Higgins (Winston Smith), K. Brian Neel (First Party Member, also Winston Smith), Marianna de Fazio* (Second Party Member, also Julia and Mrs. Parsons), Brad Cook (Third Party Member, also Syme and others), Lyam White (Fourth Party Member, also Parsons, Charrington, O'Brien and others), and Michael Ramquist (O'Brien).
The creative team includes Cole Hornaday (props designer), Amber Lynn Parker* (lighting designers), Becs Richards (set designer), K.D. Schill (costume designer), Robertson Witmer (sound designer). The production is directed by David Gassner, assistant directed by José Amador, and stage managed by Emma Hagerman.
George Orwell (novelist), born Eric Arthur Blair, was best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Nineteen Eighty-Four, also published as 1984, was originally published in 1949 as a warning against totalitarianism. The novel's ideas entered mainstream culture in a way achieved by very few books. Its title and many of its concepts, such as Big Brother and the Thought Police, are instantly recognized and understood, often as bywords for modern social and political abuses.
Michael Gene Sullivan (adapter) is an award-winning actor, director, and playwright based in San Francisco. From 1992 -1999 Michael was a Contributing Writer for the despite-its-name-never-silent, Tony and OBIE Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe before being named SFMT's Resident Playwright 2000 to present. Michael is also a Resident Playwright for the Playwrights Foundation, and in 2017 was playwriting resident at the Djerassi Arts Center. Mr. Sullivan's political dramas, musicals, and satires include Walls (Ningun Humano Es Ilegal!), Treasure Island, For The Greater Good, Freedomland, Red Carol, Too Big To Fail, Did Anyone Ever Tell You-You Look Like Huey P. Newton?, Mr. Smith Goes to Obscuristan (with Josh Kornbluth), Godfellas, Too Big to Fail, Possibilidad or The Death of the Worker, the all-woman farce Recipe, and his one person show, Did Anyone Ever Tell You -- You Look Like Huey P. Newton? www.michaelgenesullivan.com
David Gassner (Producer and Director) is Producing Director of both Radial Theater Project and 18th & Union. Directing credits in the Pacific Northwest include Yussef El Guindi's Hostages (18th & Union), The Comedy of Errors (Greenstage), Jakes Women (Mt. Baker Summer Rep, Bellingham), We Are Proud to Present a Presentation... (Pony World Theatre), HAIR (ArtsWest), Wayne Rawley's Beating Up Bachman and Vincent Delaney's 99 Layoffs (Radial Theater Project), Maria/Stuart and The American Pilot (Theater Schmeater), Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them and The Happy Ones (Seattle Public Theater), and Trout Stanley (Balagan Theatre). He was Artistic Director of Theater Schmeater for 3 years, 2007-2009. Before arriving in Seattle in 2004, he founded and managed theater companies and directed many theater productions in Northern California.
About this Adaptation
This critically-acclaimed stage adaptation of George Orwell's dystopian novel of the oppressive present and possible future had its world premiere in 2006 at the Actors' Gang in Los Angeles, directed by Academy Award winning actor Tim Robbins. After several extended runs in L.A., including a recent revival with Tim Robbins in the role of O'Brien, 1984 has gone on to several national and international productions, has been translated into six languages, and published in two. This is the adaptation's Seattle premiere.
When:
February 21 - March 14, 2020
Where:
18th & Union, 1406 18th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Ticket prices:
$15 - $28 (choose your own price)
Running time:
2 hours including intermission
Tickets and info:
Audience advisory: This production includes adult language and simulated violence, including depictions of torture.
About Radial Theater Project
Radial Theater Project is the resident company at 18th & Union. Radial has been presenting original and innovative theatrical works in collaboration with local theater artists since 2011. In 2015, Radial Theater Project created and presented the Locally Grown Performance Festival at New City Theater, in the space now known as 18th & Union.
About 18th & Union
18th & Union, a 49-seat arts and community space in Seattle's Central District, is a home for Seattle's solo and other portable performing artists: theater, comedy, music and more. For up-to-date information about all events at 18th & Union, visit http://18thandunion.org.
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