Behind the Curtain: George Orwell’s 1984

By Tony Voss, 9/26/19

This past weekend Harbinger Student Media got to attend a showing of ICC’s production of George Orwell’s book, 1984. The dystopian future where truth is altered to represent what the governmental system of post-World War II could become — a system of surveillance heralded by the figurehead of “the party,” Big Brother. HSM’s own Tony Voss spoke to the cast and crew to find out more.

“The book was made to predict the future, and I think it did, in a sense,” says assistant director Dylan Hill, who also plays the messenger in the play. “It is a lot more internal for Winston’s mind. And there are a lot of things that you can’t get across in the script. So a lot of it is kind of within the first scene, getting everything you need to know about, which can be taxing at times –  a little slow but it pays off in the end, especially once you get to the last half and you get to see everything Winston has to go through.”  

The play itself has several notable characters: Winston, Julia, Syme, Obrien, and Tom Parsons, Winston’s neighbor.

Actor Trevor Seggebruch speaks about his inexperience coming into the production. “You kinda have that connotation with like that ya know, they’re gonna be more preferential to theatre majors or anything. I’m not a theatre major, but they said it was open to anyone in the community and it was just if you have a passion for theatre; they embrace you with open arms. It’s a great time.”

When asked about his first performance Seggebruch who plays Syme, a co-worker of Winston’s in the Ministry of Truth, had this to say about his connections to the audience and co-stars. “There is just something about having that connection with your fellow actors and having the audience out there, having that show that you’ve been working on for months, and conveying that message you’ve been working on.”

The story of 1984 follows the main character of Winston – played by Austin Applegate – as he deals with the new arrival of Julia – played by Alexa Johnson – in the Ministry of Truth, and organization that alters facts of the past. These are only a few of the play’s many harrowing moments.

Brief spoilers follow.

Winston is imprisoned and tortured to teach him a lesson. The infamous ‘rat scene’ follows, and there is a lot that goes into this production. Behind the scenes, makeup was designed specifically for this scene by another student, Ashley Gale who spoke to me about the importance of makeup in theatre, and its role in storytelling. Think about it, if you watch a zombie movie and had no makeup to look like a zombie, no one would be able to tell at first glance. There is no character depth.” 

The show continues running this coming weekend of the 27th, 28th, and 29th. Showtimes begin at 7 PM on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 PM on Sunday.  For more information, visit icc.edu/arts or by calling the ICC box office at (309) 694-5136.c

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