Overview
Animal Farm
By George Orwell
Adapted by Tatty Hennessy
Directed by Ed Stambollouian
Starring the NYT REP Company
Co-produced by Royal & Derngate as part of their Made in Northampton season
In association with Mike Shepherd
Download a free digital Animal Farm programme and find out more on our dedicated show page
IMPORTANT AUDIENCE INFORMATION
PERFORMANCE
- Please arrive at Soulton Hall at 1.30pm for matinee performances and 7.00pm for evening performances (Soulton, Nr. Wem, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 5RS.) We’ll check you in for track and trace at a table by the car park and take your temperature on arrival.
- Matinees will start at 2pm and evening performances will start at 7.30pm and the show will run for 2 hours and 25 minutes including a 15-minute interval. Find out more in our free digital programme
THINGS TO BRING WITH YOU
- Please bring an outdoor chair with you to sit on while watching the performance, we can provide a chair if you are unable to bring one
-There will be a bar serving refreshments on site and you’re welcome to bring a modest picnic, however BBQs are not allowed
- Please bring a waterproof jacket or umbrella as the show will continue in the event of light rain
- In the unlikely event that a show is cancelled due to adverse weather that impacts the safety of the event a ticket to an alternative date subject to availability or a refund of the face value ticket price will be processed within 14 days of the event date.
- Please bring a face covering, which we advise you to wear throughout the performance.
ACCESS
- If you have any access requirements please contact us on joe.duggan@nyt.org.uk as soon as possible and we’ll do our best to assist you.
COVID-19
- Social distancing will be in operation at the venue, hand sanitiser will be available at the entrance and temperatures will be checked on arrival.
- Please don’t travel to the venue if you are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who has recently tested positive.
- More information about the venue and safety measures can be found here.
Over 4000 people have enjoyed live performance at Soulton Hall since the National Youth Theatre performed the inaugural production at the Sanctuary Theatre last year, built as an emergency response to the impact of the pandemic on the performing arts industry. You can find out what’s coming up next at Soulton Hall and sign up to their mailing list here.
★★★★★ "Extraordinary" The Stage Read review
★★★★★ "I was totally spellbound by this performance. What a way to bring performance back on to the stage. Everything you could want from a piece of theatre when you've been away for so long, nothing short of brilliance." Read review
★★★★ “a tremendous ensemble who work together superbly and generously" Read review
★★★★ “Gritty, dynamic, hilarious and for a play about animals – a bucket load of humanity.” Read review
★★★★ "“multi-talented young actors tell this compulsive and provocative story" Read revie
Soulton Hall, Shropshire | 16 - 19 June
All animals are equal - but some are more equal than others
Award-winning political playwright Tatty Hennessy (A Hundred Words for Snow, F*Off) adapts George Orwell’s classic as an allegory for our own times exploring themes of revolution, the price of sovereignty and power with humour and sharp wit.
When the downtrodden animals of a farm overthrow their master to run the show themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of independence and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them start to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another and independence isn’t what they were promised it would be.
Directed with playful invention by Ed Stambollouian (Pinter at the Pinter, West End), this Made in Northampton production, in association with Kneehigh Theatre, will star Britain’s best young performing talent from the 2020 National Youth Theatre REP Company.
The production is a collaboration between Royal & Derngate and the National Youth Theatre, whose renowned alumni rank amongst Britain’s greatest actors including Northampton’s Matt Smith, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Helen Mirren and Daniel Day Lewis.
Backstage NYT graduates have gone on to work in key roles at the world's biggest theatres and events including Olympic Ceremonies, award-wining large-scale theatre productions and global tours of the world's biggest music artists.
Free Educational Resources
Explore notes on the adaptation from Writer Tatty Hennessy, discover character biographies from the casts' perspective, and gain insight into the production with interviews with Set and Costume Designer Jasmine Swan and the National Youth Theatre REP Company.
Animal Farm Educational Resources
Team
Adapted by Tatty Hennessy
Director Ed Stambollouian
Set & Costume Designer - Jasmine Swan
Lighting Designer - Zoe Spurr
Choreographer - Vicki Igbokwe
Composer - John Elliott
Sound Designer - Xana
Musical Director - Jordan Clarke
Fight Director - Enric Ortuño
Vocal Coach - Marcia Carr
Production Manager - Ian Smith
Deputy Production Manager - Jack Greenyer
Company Stage Manager - Claire Risseeuw
Tour Manager - Dougie Wilson
Assistant Director - Masha Kevinovna
Design Assistant (NYT Member) - Ellie Roser
Sound Assistant (NYT Member) - Daniel Mitchell
Lighting Assistant and Operator (NYT Member) - Ed Lawson
Covid Safety Officers - Andy Patterson and Anthony Papamichael
Chief LX - Dom Cook
Programmer and Relighter - Philip Burke
Deputy Stage Manager (NYT Member) - Alix Nicholson
Assistant Stage Manager (NYT Member) - Samantha Galbraith
Assistant Stage Manager (NYT Member) - Emily Dimino
Production Sound and Mixer - Hope Brennan
Costume Supervisor - Jennie Quirk
Assistant Costume Supervisor and Wardrobe Manager - Anna Edwards-McConway
Wardrobe Assistant - Bella Collins
REP Mentors
Jade Anouka
Johnny Capps
Julie Crampsie
Joe Cole
Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù
Ray Fearon
John Hollingworth
Kane Husbands
Bryony Jarvis-Taylor
Emily Lim
Ruth O’Dowd
Rege-Jean Page
Nikesh Patel
Charlotte Sutton
Michelle Terry
Ashley Zhangazha
REP Buddies
Guy Clark
Ella Dacres
Natalie Dunne
Jordon Ford-Silver
Jamie Foulkes
Alice Franziska
Billy Hinchliff
Jadie Hobson
Bede Hodgkinson
Tiwalade Ibirogba-Olulode
Julia Kass
Sarah Lusack
Jemima Mayala
Joseph Payne
Sonny Poon Tip
Raj Singh
Venue
Soulton Hall, Shropshire
Performances
