Orwell's 'Animal Farm' Flocks To The Stage

Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre kicks of their 2006-2007 season with an adaptation of George Orwell's provocative novel Animal Farm.  Performances are at the Hollywood Playhouse October 27-29, 2006.

George Orwell's challenging work on the perils of power has proved magnificently long-lived as a parable using animals and has given the world a genuine masterpiece that invites audiences to ask important and difficult questions. This dramatization remains faithful to the book's plot and retains both its affection for the animals and the incisiveness of its message.

Animal Farm, the book version, was published in 1945 and provided a harsh criticism of totalitarianism thinly disguised as an allegory of the Soviet government using animals. The story follows a group of oppressed barnyard animals that stage a rebellion against their cruel and neglectful master, Farmer Jones.

After they succeed in overthrowing him, they form a utopian-styled government in which all animals have a say in what goes on. For a short while Snowball, an idealist pig, is given the powers of leadership until two other pigs, Squealer and Napoleon, rebel and install themselves as dictators and create an atmosphere of fear.

Then suddenly and very secretly the community's credo has been changed to: "All Animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

The play is directed by Ed Zeltner who is a graduate from the University of Florida and who has studied improvisation with the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. He has appeared in numerous plays including By the Bog of Cats produced by the Irish Repertory Theatre in Chicago. Mr. Zeltner is currently a teacher at the Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre.

The cast includes Max Faban (17) who is a member of FLCT's premiere improv troupe, Child's Play. Max has also starred in FLCT productions of Scrooge the Musical as Scrooge, Aladdin as the Genie, Grease as Danny Zuko, Romeo and Juliet as Mercutio and Honk! as the Frog. Other cast players include Jordon Shomer as Snowball and Tommaso Urbisci as Napoleon. 

Animal Farm
October 27,28,29, 2006
Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm
Hollywood Playhouse, 2640 Washington Street
BoxOffice: 954-763-6701 or http://www.flct.org
Tickets: $15 Adults, $12 Students
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
For more information call 954-763-6701

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