ALL animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
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A gripping new theatrical version of George Orwell's political classic, Animal Farm, is coming to the Border next month.
The State Theatre Company of South Australia's (STCSA) electrifying production of Orwell's cult classic will play in Wodonga, direct from a sold-out season in Adelaide.
It will run at the Butter Factory Theatre from May 7 to 11.
Revolution is coming to Manor Farm.
Under the guidance of some rebellious pigs, a group of farm animals unite to drive out their cruel human oppressors and build utopia.
But the swine are not as united as they appear, and their division gives rise to a terrifying new system of power and repression.
Written in England during the 1940s as a response to the rise of authoritarian governments around the world, Animal Farm is a searing examination of extremist rule.
It's a cautionary tale as relevant and terrifying in 2019, as it was then.
In his final production for STCSA as artistic director, Geordie Brookman and actor Dale March join forces to create a scintillating take on one of the greatest stories of English literature.
A sublime and unadorned piece of theatrical storytelling, Animal Farm will see March inhabit upwards of 20 characters, from the revolutionary pigs to the stoic draft horse and the tyrannical Mr Jones.
OTHER ENTERTAINMENT:
Orwell wrote the manuscript between 1943 and 1944 subsequent to his experiences during the Spanish Civil War.
In the preface of a 1947 Ukrainian edition of Animal Farm, he explained how escaping the communist purges in Spain taught him "how easily totalitarian propaganda can control the opinion of enlightened people in democratic countries".
This motivated Orwell to expose and strongly condemn what he saw as the Stalinist corruption of the original socialist ideals.
Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923 to 2005); it also featured at number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels.
It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996 and is included in the Great Books of the Western World selection.
The STCSA production of Animal Farm has been assisted by the government through the Ministry of the Arts Catalyst Australian Arts and Culture fund.
THE LOWDOWN
WHAT: Animal Farm
WHEN: Butter Factory Theatre, Gateway Village, Wodonga, Tuesday, May 7, 8pm; Wednesday, May 8, 6.30pm; Thursday, May 9, 11am and 8pm; Friday, May 10, 8pm; Saturday, May 11, 3pm (audio described) and 8pm.
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