Big Brother is back.  Strap yourself in for this terrifically frightening theatrical event set against a towering wall of plasma screens.  

Oceania; a Nation perpetually at war, where cameras watch every move and Thought Police roam the streets.  A place Winston Smith calls home.  By day, Winston is an editor at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history to align the past with the radical political agenda of the ruling party and its illusive leader, Big Brother.  By night, Winston pursues a forbidden love affair with the mysterious Julia in an attempt to rebel against the oppressive regime set down by the party and maintain some control over this otherwise totally controlled life.  When Winston and Julia are discovered, they are violently separated, detained and prepared for conversion.  Locked in the Ministry of Love and interrogated by the quietly terrifying O’Brien, Winston is beaten, manipulated and subjected to sickening torture in an attempt to make him reject dreams of liberation and understand that free thought and logic is the only true enemy.

From the team that brought you Animal Farm, this new stage adaptation brings George Orwell’s final novel screaming into the present.

‘Flawless’ Scene Magazine 

’1984 is a cracker – intelligent and theatrically clever…This little jewel of a production confirms shake & stir’s place in the commonwealth of national theatres.’ Actors Greenroom

‘shake & stir have done a stunning job realising this work for the stage…This show gets into your head…This is Brisbane’s theatre at its finest.’ Theatre People

‘shake & stir’s ability to bring classic, world changing literature to the main stage is double-plus awesome.  It’s rare to see a book adaptation that feels whole and complete in its own right.’ Aussie Theatre