ANIMAL FARM

George Orwell’s
Animal Farm

Adapted by Ian Wooldridge
"Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word - Man. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever."

When the animals at Manor Farm hear the rousing speeches of the star of the farm, the prized boar Old Major, they become fed up with their mistreatment at the hands of the alcoholic farmer Jones. Gathered around the pigs as leaders, all animals, cows, horses, sheep, dogs, donkeys, hens and other poultry alike, heed the calls for rebellion. After they do manage to oust the evil Man, and the farm becomes their own, the inevitable path begins towards the ultimate freedom. Freedom from all and everything...

The play is based on Goerge Orwell's 1945 novella originally published as Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. Do not be fooled by the sub-title. It is no children's material, its imagery is wholly bleak, and its humour dark, if not absent at all. The satirical fable specifically lampoons Lenin's and Stalin's Soviet Union and an admiration thereof in various circles in the United Kingdom. However, Orwell's penchant for capturing the essence of the subject matter allows for a more universal metaphor. You can pick your (least) favourite revolution that succeeded in establishing a modern dictatorship and parallels are there to be found. You may even recognize moments in the story almost as cliché, but they will strike you all the more for their pungency, acerbity, and effectiveness.

 

Directed by

Martin Murín and Anna Jiroušková

Cast:

Soňa Bartková, Vasilina Pazdnikova, Eleonora Yusupbaeva, Julia Okhrimenko, Mikuláš Mařík, Charles Simons Zeind, Milan Ondruch, Nikolay Velinov, Omar Dahy, Anastasia Sultangirova, Lenka Kohoutová, Jimmy Rousseau, Luboš Duda, Daria Shudrenko, Mariia Bohatyrova, Maya Kirkby, Pavla Roučková, Josef Darebný

Music Arrangement & Vocal Coaching:

Bára Dočkalová

Sound Design:

David Le Cam

Set Design:

Martin Murín

Costumes:

Julia Okhrimenko

Visuals:

Milan Ondruch, Tereza Votoupalová, Žaneta Chrobočková

Light Design:

Petr Taclík

Special Thanks: 

Bára Dočkalová, COPRIS, úl – DIY prostor, Veronika Gajdošíková