A revolution betrayed, a community divided, and the slow creep of tyranny disguised as equality. MUST presents Animal Farm as a raw, unflinching examination of power, propaganda, and the moment ideals become alibis.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is renowned as a timeless allegory of power, corruption, and revolution. Tatty Hennessy’s adaptation of the iconic 1945 novella “bears resonances of the here and now” (The Guardian) and interrogates the seduction of modern authoritarianism through a distinct 21st-Century lens. For director Max Pickering; “Animal Farm confronts inaction.”
Pickering brings the creativity and excitement that MUST is praised for, “MUST are no strangers to tackling the difficult… they often pull off some of the best theatre in the state through bold and original interpretations.” (Theatre Travels). He has been employing Tanya Gerstle’s Pulse methodology in rehearsal, building a dynamic and physical ensemble performance.
Stripping away the innocence of a beast fable, this production offers a grotesque and unwavering exploration of how a community can curdle into tyranny. With a stark set and bold lighting, the audience is thrust into an undefined, oppressive space, no longer a simple farm, but a world that feels unsettlingly close to our own. Here, we bear witness to the pigs’ gradual descent into greed and their violent consolidation of power.
May 14 – 23
Bookings: msa.monash.edu/MUST
