“You must tell us!”

‘George Orwell’s 1984: A Unique Immersive Experience’

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“Did you see anything suspicious on your way here?” the actor in the blue boiler suit asked me intently. “You must tell us if you did.”

I swiftly denied all knowledge and was waved through to collect my numbered ID badge. It would be my entry permit for ‘George Orwell’s 1984: A Unique Immersive Experience’.

This multimedia performance, running until 17 December, is staged in Hackney Town Hall in East London. A handsome, well-preserved art deco municipal building, it provides a pertinent backdrop for a story set at a time when democracy is dead.

The audience assembles in the cavernous Atrium as a duo performs songs with a light-hearted 1940s feel. That is, until you realise that the lyrics are encouraging fervent devotion to the bellicose state of Oceania. Feeling unsettled? Why not pick up a gin-based cocktail to take off the edge.

Next, we are led up an elegant marble double staircase to be seated in the ceremonious wood-panelled Council Chamber. Here, the more serious storytelling begins.

Immediately the show’s immersive elements subtly force the audience to question their own susceptibility to collusion. Innovative theatrical devices provoke us to explore our individual relationship with themes such as the nature of truth, our propensity for collaboration, and how surveillance can be used to undermine society.

Opportunities to participate in the drama are designed to be provocative, while at the same time giving spectators the safety to navigate the boundary of their personal comfort zone. This is a knife-edge skill with immersive theatre, especially where there are elements of horror. It works.

Winston blunders his way into the story’s pivotal ambush. The jeopardy comes from his questioning of Big Brother, and his transgressive relationship with Julia. We see their lovers’ encounter unfold on surveillance footage projected in black and white on a split screen. The production employs film, innovative props, the building itself and simple but harrowing sound-effects to lead the audience through to the end.

Performances are convincing and sustained. Jude Akuwudike as O’Brien is a commanding figure. Kit Reeve portrays an aloof Julia, her detachment a credible survival mechanism under the prevailing regime. Declan Rodgers brings forbidden passion to the most difficult role as a naïve and increasingly desperate Winston. The young cast of boiler-suited ‘accompanists’ serve as hybrid chorus, tech team and ushers.

I overheard people saying the usual things: Orwell is so relevant, especially nowadays. We are being watched all the time. Indeed, we had CCTV cameras pointed at the audience to reinforce the point. Publicity for the show made the same familiar arguments:

‘In an age when we are tracked and monitored, Orwell’s vision has never been closer to reality.’

However, what gives this performance its clout, is not the spectre of what a surveillant entity might be doing to us. Nor is it the familiar fetishism around the apparatus of control.

Rather, this play’s power springs from its use of subtle coercive techniques to make everybody in the room comply instinctively with the rules.

Just how far will you go in obeying the instructions of O’Brien and his team of authoritarian enforcers?

You can find your personal answer in the dramatic closing scene. Winston’s unhinged declaration of love for Big Brother, found in the original text, is swapped for something more sinister. Instead, O’Brien turns the tables on the audience. Your future career at the Ministry of Truth will be guaranteed if you will just help him with one last, brutal act to prove beyond doubt the depth of your love for Big Brother. There was no shortage of volunteers.

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George Orwell’s 1984: A Unique Immersive Experience

Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, London E8 1EA,

until 17 December 2023.

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Nicola Rossi