Until next April 5, the Teatro Fernán Gómez-Centro Cultural de la Villa presents a retrofuturistic version of the 1984 play by George Orwell.
David Lázaro, Javier Ruiz de Alegría, Cristina Arranz, Javier Bermejo, under the direction of Carlos Martínez-Abarca, tell how Winston Smith recounts his experience through the diary that he has decided to write in an act of rebellion against the unique thinking of the Party.
This narrative opens before the public’s eyes a spectacle of conscious convention, of playing in the sight of the spectator. Four actors like Winston, Julia, O’Brien and the whole constellation of characters that populate the world of 1984 around Winston.
Retro-futuristic aesthetic. Alienating play space where humans (performers and audience) will feel the cruelty of injurious, annoying, aggressive material… Oxidized metals, rust, moisture… Live scenic resources created by actors coexist with the use of audiovisual technology.
Why 1984 in 2026? From books and theater you can only come out different or indifferent. There is no other option. And that, like in the great stories, 1984 is “actually talking about you”, who you are or who you can become. Who are we? We are those who live in times of universal deception; therefore, in these times “to say the truth is a revolutionary act”. Even though we may choose to stick with the comfy slogan, “Shout with the crowd, that’s always safer.” We are individualists, but, paradoxically, an individualist society is a pretotalitarian one. This was explained by Hannah Arendt’s thought and recreated it in Orwell’s work. Fortunately, we do not live in a totalitarian society, but it does have the semblance of totalitarianism; it is up to us not to interweave them. That’s why we bring 1984 to the stage without frivolous nods to today. Without departing from Orwell’s text, we recall his warning: “Don’t let it happen, it’s up to you,” say the creators. Tickets can be purchased at this link.