# 1984 (play)

1984 is a 2013 play by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan based on the 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

## Production history

The production premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse on Friday 13 September 2013 in a co-production with Headlong. It was created and directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, designed by Chloe Lamford, lighting was designed by Natasha Chivers, sound by Tom Gibbons, and video by Tim Reid. Rudi Dharmalingam played Charrington.
Following a UK tour, the production transferred to the Almeida Theatre in Islington from 8 February to 29 March 2014 where it later transferred to London's West End to the Playhouse Theatre from 28 April to 23 August 2014 where it was co-produced by the Almeida Theatre and Sonia Friedman Productions. The production was nominated for Best New Play at the 2014 Laurence Olivier Awards but lost to Chimerica, another Almeida Theatre production. This was followed by another UK tour.
In 2015 the production returned to the Playhouse Theatre in the West End from 12 June to 5 September. Following the 2015 West End run, the production toured Nottingham and Bath before travelling to Melbourne in Australia and Santa Monica, Boston, and Washington, D.C. in the United States.
In 2016 the production returned for a third time to the Playhouse Theatre in the West End from 14 June to 29 October.
In 2017, Icke and Macmillan released a US edition of the play, and directed a new American cast for the play's opening on Broadway. The Broadway production opened at the Hudson Theatre on June 22 (previews beginning May 18) for a limited run until October 8, starring Tom Sturridge, Olivia Wilde and Reed Birney.
Due to audience reactions to the shocking content, security guards were placed within the Hudson Theatre.
Before opening night of the show, those under the age of 13 were barred from attending, after actors had spotted a small child in the audience.
In 2017, a version of the production played on an Australian tour, playing in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, and Perth, from 13 May through to 13 August.

## Extreme content and audience reactions

The play includes extreme torture scenes. It also includes non-linear staging, strobe lights, sudden blackouts and jackhammer sounds. Due to the shocking nature of the play, some audience members reacted in various ways, including leaving the show, fainting, screaming at cast members, and throwing up. Two audience members had police called on them after getting into a fight after the show. Among these audience members, actress Jennifer Lawrence was in attendance at a show before leaving and throwing up.

## Characters and cast

| Character | Original Cast 2013-14 | West End 2014 | West End 2015 | West End 2016 | West End 2016 | Broadway 2017 | Australia 2017 |
| Winston | Mark Arends | Sam Crane | Matthew Spencer | Andrew Gower | Andrew Gower | Tom Sturridge | Tom Conroy |
| O'Brien | Tim Dutton | Tim Dutton | Tim Dutton | Angus Wright | Hilton McRae | Reed Birney | Terence Crawford |
| Charrington | Stephen Fewell | Stephen Fewell | Stephen Fewell | Richard Katz | Rudi Dharmalingam | Michael Potts | Yalin Ozucelik |
| Martin | Christopher Patrick Nolan | Christopher Patrick Nolan | Christopher Patrick Nolan | Daniel Rabin | Daniel Rabin | Carl Hendrick Louis | Renato Musolino |
| Syme | Matthew Spencer | Matthew Spencer | Ben Porter | Joshua Higgott | Joshua Higgott | Nick Mills | Guy O'Grady |
| Parsons | Gavin Spokes | Simon Coates | Simon Coates | Anthony O'Donell | Anthony O'Donell | Wayne Duvall | Paul Blackwell |
| Mrs Parsons | Mandi Symonds | Mandi Symonds | Mandi Symonds | Rosie Ede | Rosie Ede | Cara Seymour | Fiona Press |
| Julia | Hara Yannas | Hara Yannas | Hara Yannas | Catrin Stewart | Catrin Stewart | Olivia Wilde | Ursula Mills |

## Awards and nominations

Original Production Awards
* Winner — 2014 UK Theatre Awards Best Director — Duncan Macmillan and Robert Icke
* Winner — 2013 Liverpool Arts Awards Best Director — Duncan Macmillan and Robert Icke
* Winner — 2013 Liverpool Arts Awards Best Actor — Mark Arends
* Winner — Broadway World Awards Los Angeles Best Featured Actor — Tim Dutton

### Original Broadway production

| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2018 | Tony Award | Best Sound Design of a Play | Tom Gibbons | Nominated |
| 2018 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Sound Design in a Play | Tom Gibbons | Nominated |
| 2018 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play | Natasha Chivers | Nominated |
| 2018 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Tim Reid | Nominated |