Tachia newall biography books
Theatre Review Come down the farm
Animal Farm
Theatre Royal, Stratford East
THIS excellent adaptation of George Orwell’s iconic book gives a real contemporary feel to proceedings.
The original book, published in 1945, saw Orwell drawing what he saw as lessons from the early years of the Russian revolution. This Tatty Hennessy adaptation centres more on power dynamics, manipulation of group situations and inequality.
In places there is more than a hint of the recent history of the Labour Party, with a popular leader ousted and a manipulative shadowy figure putting his man into the top job. The role of manipulative pig, Squealer (Tom Simper), has certainly been made far more prominent than in the original book. A cross between Peter Mandelson and Uriah Heep.
There is some blurring of lines, possibly due to having to compact so much narrative into the limited time frame. For example, the dogs appear a far more terrifying force, serving the pigs, in the book. In the play, the single dog is an enforcer but also seems an ambivalent part of the group at times.
Hayley Grindle, set and costume designer, does an excellent job, with the split stage that demotes the animals below, while power resides in a sealed board room structure above. The pigs move to inhabit the board room. There is also a factory farm feel to the set.
Tachia Newall nicely builds the role of Napoleon, overthrowing his rival, Snowball, and taking power. The effort to control the group, with fear engendered regarding traitors and enemies outside, also has a nice contemporary feel. The line “All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others” rings as true today, as in the 1940s.
Napoleon’s tour de force is a final speech where he displays the contempt of the ruling elite for the workers that they exploit.
There is a real energy about the play throughout, conveyed by clever choreography of movement.
A great strength of this production is that it can stand alone, relatable to The 1 October marks the start of Black History Month in the UK. At United Agents we support, promote and celebrate our Black clients’ work throughout the year – not just in October. We use this opportunity to reflect on the history of Black people working in our industry, the first Black British Authors, Actors, Directors and Writers who fought to be seen, to be heard, and paved the way for others. We acknowledge there is an opportunity within our company and our industry for discussion and learning, as we continue to strive for inclusivity and positive change. We take this moment to showcase some of our “Stars of Tomorrow” – our Black clients aged 30 and under, whose contribution to our cultural lives will – we believe – help to shape the future. ___ Jemel One Five Jemel’s YouTube channel has over 270k subscribers and for the past two seasons he has presented Major League Baseball’s UK coverage. Michael Abubakar Scottish actor Michael’s most recent theatre credits include a run at the Royal Shakespeare Company in King John and the new play The Whip, The Glass Menagerie at the Arcola Theatre and The Whip Hand at Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. His television work includes the BBC Drama Trust Me, opposite Jodie Whittaker, Motherland and Horrible Histories alongside appearances in feature films Long Night At Blackstone and Disney’s Artemis Fowl, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Victor Ade Victor is a recent LAMDA Graduate. You can see him in Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You on BBCiPlayer/HBO as Samson. Tomisin Adepeju Tomisin’s multi-award winning shorts have been selected at over a hundred international film festivals. He was one of twelve filmmakers selected for the BFI’s Network at LFF and is currently developing two features. Heather Agyepong Heather has been busy filming one of the leading roles, ‘Ndudi’ on the highly anticipated series The Power for Amaz Overall Performance A morality tale from BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play slot, about a struggling chef in Salford. 'The Janitor' was originally broadcast on 6 May 2011. Kevin is struggling to keep his new restaurant afloat in posh Salford Quays. But then Jonno turns up. The boy he was a dad to for a couple of years when he was shacked up with his mother. He couldn't save the mother, can he now save the kid? All 15 stone of him. .Black History Month 2020
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The Janitor