George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 has given us many phrases, from 'room 101' to 'thought Police,' and 'Big Brother'.
The futuristic story been adapted into plays, films and TV dramas, but for the first time it will be staged as an immersive show, with audiences invited to an interview to work at the Ministry of Truth.
East Finchley-based Adam Taub has adapted and produced 1984 Immersive, which sees Hackney Town Hall stand in for the totalitarian state of Oceania where Winston Smith starts to question 'The Party'.
He says while previous adaptations "faithfully followed the book," he wanted to take a different tack.
"They look at this appalling society run by this cruel, ruthless organisation but I wondered what would The Party say about itself? How would it justify itself? Let's give The Party a voice and see what it would say. The premise of the show is that every audience member is a candidate for the Minsitry of Truth, let's see if you are up to it?"
While no-one is tortured like poor Winston, the show features "strong scenes" and is suitable only for ages 16 and up - with under 18s accompanied by an adult - and warnings issued beforehand.
Taub grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb and first read the book at school.
"It's always stayed with me," he says. "It's become part of the vernacular, everywhere we turn. You see it in politics - the rise of popularism and the post truth world. Orwell gives us this extraordinary insight into the way that language is used and truth is abused."
Taub has previously created an immersive Frankenstein which toured to libraries and made theatre in museums and civic spaces. He's fascinated by the live experience, and how under utilised spaces can be used for events.
In the case of Hackney Town Hall the 50 performances take place in the council chamber, atrium, committee room, and corridors of the 1930s architectural gem, and the show can be packed away within 45 minutes to make way for council business.
"I am so thrilled to be working in the astonishingly beautiful Hackney Town Hall, I walk around it and can't believe they have allowed me to perform there," he says. "The advantage of working in such a beautiful space is it is the set, and the last thing we want to do is cover it up."
Orwell lived at various addresses in Hampstead - Oakwood Road, Pond Street and Parliament Hill - before meeting his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy. During World War II, they lived in Marylebone, while she worked for the censorship department of the Ministry of Information - now Senate House near Regent's Park - and he worked for the BBC.
Taub has paid due respect to the original text but adds: "It's a 350 page book and our show is only 75 minutes. Rather than a play, it's a slice of life from a world, although it's much closer to a promenade performance. Immersive Theatre works best where you have a world and make sure the audience are really involved.
"The biggest problem can be that audiences get more emotionally involved than they should, and try to wrestle the baddie. The best thing about creating an authoritarian world is it's easy for us to control the audience!"
He encourages ticketholders to turn up to the 30-minute pre show bar which, while not essential to the plot, is a great way to soak up the atmosphere.
Orwell was writing about Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, but Taub believes his uncannily prophetic story will resonate with modern audiences.
"Ever since Donald Trump rose to power it's been on my mind that we are living in a terrifying post truth world where the truth is not an observable fact but what someone say it is. That's right at the core of Orwell, it's astonishing how much he gets right; falsifying records, the use of war to keep populations placid, people paying for their own surveillance.
"The only thing that has moved far beyond what Orwell imagined is the technology; the power of the corporations - that we would be willingly carrying around the means of surveillance in our pockets."
Pure Expression's George Orwell's 1984 immersive experience runs at Hackney Town Hall from October 19 until November 26.
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