Review: 1984, from The Past, Predicting the Future, About Today
by Jade Kops - Jul 29, 2025
Shake and Stir, with director Michael Futcher, presents a gripping, expertly crafted production of 1984 that delivers a profound and lasting impact.
BWW Review: THE ACTORS' GANG THEATER PRESENTS THE RIVETING PLAY '1984' at The Actor's Gang Theater
by Valerie-Jean Miller - Oct 30, 2019
Based on the iconic novel by George Orwell, a?oe1984a?? is the story of Winston Smith, who has come to the attention of the state of Oceania, the authoritarian state. Initially written in 1949, meaning that it was projecting 35 years into the future at that time, it is uncanny, that, 35 years later, it is being presented yet once again, and, terrifyingly, it is probably more relevant than ever before. With the brutal soul-searching, diary-exposing help of four Party Members of a?oeThe Ministry of Truth,a?? and a maiming stun gun, Winston is forced to confess his Thoughtcrimes before an unseen questioner, and the audience (surrounding the square stage in the middle on all four sides; it's almost as if they are secretly witnesses and jury) is up close and personal witnessing the torture and depredation being dealt to Mr. Smith.
BWW Reviews: When Art Meets Advocacy in Arena Stage's THE TALLEST TREE IN THE FOREST
by Benjamin Tomchik - Jan 19, 2014
Written and performed by Daniel Beaty, Arena Stage's The Tallest Tree in the Forest examines what happens when art meets advocacy and the inherit tension between the two as experienced by the late entertainer Paul Robeson.
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