“1984,” Presented by Aquila Theatre

In George Orwell's “1984,” Winston Smith wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a place where the Party scrutinizes human actions with ever-watchful Big Brother. Defying a ban on individuality, Winston dares to express his thoughts in a diary and pursues a relationship with Julia. These criminal deeds bring Winston into the eye of the opposition, who then must reform the nonconformist. George Orwell's “1984” introduced the watchwords for life without freedom: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.

Written in 1944 near the end of World War II, “1984” depicts a society controlled by a perfectly totalitarian government where technology is wielded as a weapon to inundate citizens with propaganda and to monitor thoughts and actions. Imagined before the existence of computers, this dystopian future explores the power of technology as a mental manipulator and source of curated information.

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