What's happened
The Scotsman and The Guardian review Chris Hannan’s new adaptation of 1984, directed by Dominic Hill, which frames Orwell’s life with a hospital-bound Winston. The production blends stark stagecraft with industrial sound, offering a provocative take on surveillance, truth, and power in a postwar context. The Edinburgh run continues to Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- The adaptation reframes 1984 through a dual narrative, challenging how we understand truth and censorship in modern tech-age society.
- It juxtaposes Orwell’s life with Winston’s rebellion, highlighting how personal resolve against totalitarianism resonates today.
- The staging uses a towering scaffold-set and industrial score to create an unforgiving atmosphere that mirrors Oceania’s repression.
- The piece invites debate on how “facts” are contested in public discourse and media ecosystems.
- Readers should consider how the work’s political edge translates to contemporary debates about surveillance, state power, and information control.
How we got here
The new adaptation by Chris Hannan reimagines Orwell’s 1984 as a speculative biography, linking the author’s tuberculosis treatment with his dystopian fiction. It is staged by Dominic Hill and features Jack Tarlton as both Orwell and Winston, supported by an eight-strong ensemble. The production runs at the Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, before touring Scotland.
Our analysis
The Scotsman’s Joyce McMillan emphasizes the production’s brutal power and the way it roots Orwell in a modern context, while The Guardian’s review highlights the eerie echo chamber between Orwellian dialogue and Winston’s pleas for genuine conversation. Both praise Jack Tarlton’s dual performance and Irene Macdougall’s O’Brien for their stark, memorable work.
Go deeper
- Did you see the production, and if so, what moment stayed with you?
- How does this adaptation shift your view of Orwell’s message in a tech-saturated era?
- What questions does the staging raise about the balance between truth and power?
More on these topics
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Dominic Hill - Theatre director
Dominic Hill is Artistic Director at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. He took up post in October 2011.
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Jack Tarlton - Scottish actor
Jack Tarlton is a Scottish actor from Edinburgh, know mainly for his Television work. From 2005-2006, he appeared as Meshak in the original Royal National Theatre production of Helen Edmundson's Coram Boy.
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George Orwell - Novelist
Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, biting social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic sociali