"But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way? In your own way … not in everybody else's way."
Novel by Aldous Huxley
Adapted by Miranda Mackay
In association with FourSevenTwo Productions
Keble O'Reilly, May 2018
Set 600 years in the future, ‘Brave New World’ anticipates a totalitarian World State where "Everybody's Happy Now".
It's a society structured by eugenics, a strict rank system, and the distribution of free narcotics to every citizen; the family has been abolished and babies are grown in bottles. Even feeling "love" for another person has become socially unacceptable. But when two high ranking members of the society bring back a scandalous secret from the 'Reserve' that has been left behind in the dust, the results are explosive.
The fusion of innovative projection and visual design with choreography inspired by Berkoff and Frantic Assembly will bring the novel to life in a vivid and hard-hitting way not seen before. This brand new adaptation offers a deeper exploration of the themes that Huxley addressed while also bringing in important and topical questions of queer theory and widening Huxley’s examination of gender dynamics. The use of stylised choral movement sparks the age-old conflict between the individual and society and asks:
Is it better to be happy or free?
CAST
John
Bernard Marx
Lenina Crowne
The Director
Helmholtz Watson
Linda
Henry Foster
Fanny Crowne
Benito Hoover
Hillary (SSVD)
Lucy Miles
Patrick Orme
Amelia Holt
Marcus Knight-Adams
Nicole Jacobus
Esme Sanders
Jordan Grinyer
Louis Cunningham
Jessie See
Kristen Cope
CREW
Director
Playwright
Producer
Assistant Director
Assistant Producer
Projection and LX
Set Designer
Composer
Costume Designer
Company Stage Manager
Deputy Stage Manager
PROJECTION ASSISTANTS
Animator
Photo Editor
Video Editor
Artist
MARKETING TEAM
Marketing Manager
Marketing Assistants
Graphic Design
TRAILER TEAM
Director of Photography
Director
Sound Recordist
Composer
Georgie Botham
Miranda Mackay
Amy Thompson
Ella Tournes
Tracey Mwaniki
Seb Dows-Miller
Thomas Robertson
John Paul
Beth McCullagh
Kayla Kim
Ksenia Dugaeva
Poppy Eastwood
Ed Harris
Olivia Webster
Niamh Calway
Emilia Clark
Francisca Csongrady
Anna Whitmore
Georgie Botham
Callum Bradshaw
Josh Cottell
The Brave New World trailer
REVIEWS
The Cherwell
"The audience are thrown into the workings of the World State with a vigour that leaves no audience member falling to the wayside."
"It is evident that director Georgie Botham, a self-confessed Berkoff enthusiast, has a definite clarity of vision for this production. The ensemble erupt onto the stage as the play begins, bringing with them a heightened physical and visual presence that is simply a joy to watch."
"A production with such an emphasis on stylised characterisation and choral movement demands discipline and commitment on the part of actors. This production did not disappoint – far from it."
"I would urge Oxford’s theatre-lovers to head to the Keble O’Reilly to see this frankly brilliant production."
Read the full review HERE
Daily Info
"great style and precision"
"I admired the care taken over individual action and reaction from its every member at all times, indicating hours of concentrated preparation"
"The choreographed group movement was both fun and slightly menacing"
Read the full review HERE
GALLERY
Photography and editing by Georgie Botham