Sam Blythe Will Lead ANIMAL FARM at EdFringe 2025
Performances run July 30 to 24 August.
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 17, 2025
Celebrating over 80 years since the publication of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and marking 30 years of continuous performance, globally, Guy Masterson’s solo adaptation returns to the Edinburgh– with a powerful new twist. Stepping into the role made famous by Masterson in 1995, actor Sam Blythe now takes on the mantle in a breathtaking reimagining of this barnyard classic.
Olivier winner Guy Masterson directs the phenomenal Sam Blythe in his legendary solo of Orwell's allegorical masterpiece, returning for its 30th anniversary. Blythe assiduously inhabits every quadruped on the farm: Boxer, Clover, Napoleon, Snowball, Benjamin, Molly, Muriel, Moses, dogs, sheep, hens, cows, ducks, the cat – and Squealer is a tour de force! The political power of the work is undeniable, and its inherent warning is as shockingly poignant today as ever. “I mean, it could never happen to us, could it?”
Like Masterson’s other world-renowned performances of Under Milk Wood, A Christmas Carol, and Shylock, Animal Farm has become a benchmark for solo theatrical storytelling. Now, with Masterson’s blessing and direction, Sam Blythe brings his own fresh energy and intensity to this haunting political fable.
Audiences will once again witness the transformation of the stage into Orwell’s vivid allegorical world, as Blythe brings to life a full cast of characters – from Snowball and Napoleon to Boxer, Clover, and even the Sheep – in a virtuosic, visceral performance.
Blythe is no stranger to commanding a stage. His recent work includes immersive standout performances as Charles Dickens (The Great Christmas Feast), Alfie Solomons (Peaky Blinders: The Rise), and The Doctor (Doctor Who: Time Fracture). Animal Farm follows his acclaimed solo debut Method In My Madness, a one-man Hamlet that premiered at EdFringe 2024 to critical acclaim and which also returns to Assembly for 2025. (10:40 in George Square Studio 4)
Now, with Animal Farm, Sam steps into the hooves and trotters of Orwell’s enduring vision – as relevant today as ever – under the watchful eye of its original master.
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