Animal Farm
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The animals of Manor Farm drive out the farmer and run the farm themselves. A revolution. And then what? Then freedom. Every animal will be free.
Old Major, the prize boar, calls the animals of Manor Farm together. He has had a strange dream of a better future.
George Orwell’s world-famous fable tells the story of a revolution and its aftermath. Re-imagined by an award-winning creative team, Animal Farm is a dynamic, daring and contemporary take on a timeless story.
Animal Farm is directed by Robert Icke, whose version of 1984 (co-adapted and directed with Duncan Macmillan) was a smash-hit in the West End and on Broadway. This brand new production features puppetry by Toby Olié (whose credits include War Horse, Running Wild and Goodnight Mister Tom) and is designed by four-time Olivier award-winner Bunny Christie.
Running time
90 Minutes (No interval)
Presented By
The Children’s Theatre Partnership and Birmingham Rep
Access Performances
BSL Interpreted Performance: Mon 31 Jan, 7.30pm
Captioned Matinee Performance: Sat 05 Feb, 2:00pm
Audio Described Evening Performance: Sat 05 Feb, 7.30pm
Relaxed Performance: Thu 03 Feb, 7.30pm
Schools Performances
03 Feb, 10:30am
Age
Recommended for ages 11+
Fees & Charges
Please note there is a transaction fee of £2.50 on all payment types. Please click here for more information.
Resource Pack
Download the resource pack here
Digital Programme
View the digital programme here
‘The arts should be cherished. This play, in particular, is a must watch.’ Birmingham Mail
‘This is immersive theatre at its very best, personifying the standard that productions at Birmingham Rep live up to every time the lights go down.’ Black Country Radio
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‘Animal Farm is one of the must-see plays for 2022’ ReviewsHub
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‘The puppetry of the many animals on stage is nothing short of spellbinding’ WestEnd Best Friend
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‘This Animal Farm is a pure bred winner’ Adrian Goldberg, Brum Radio
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The Cast
Ailsa Dalling
Ailsa Dalling is a performer, puppeteer and puppet maker. She is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson is a performer and puppeteer. He is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Darcy Collins
Darcy Collins is a performer and puppeteer. She is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Edie Edmundson
Edie Edmundson is a performer, puppeteer and puppetry director. She is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Elisa De Grey
Elisa De Grey is a performer. She is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Enrico Dau Yang Wey
Enrico Dau Yang Wey is a performer, puppeteer, puppetry director, artist and researcher. They are in the cast of Animal Farm.
Markus Schabbing
Markus Schabbing is a performer and puppeteer. He is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Matthew Churcher
Matthew Churcher is performer and drummer. He is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Matt Tait
Matt Tait is a performer and puppeteer. He is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Michael Jean-Marain
Michael Jean-Marain is an actor and puppeteer. He is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Rayo Patel
Rayo trained in physical theatre at East15 and loves mime, mask and puppetry.
His favourite credits include Satyagraha (Improbable), Madame Butterfly (Blind Summit) and A Brave Fave, Finding Joy (Vamos Theatre).
Sharon Sze
Sharon Sze is a performer. She is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Yana Penrose
Yana Penrose is a performer and writer. She is in the cast of Animal Farm.
Jonathan Dryden Taylor
Jonathan is a writer and performer. He is in the cast of Animal Farm.
The Creative Team
Adaptor and Director
Robert Icke
Robert Icke
Robert Icke is a writer and director. He is the adaptor and director of Animal Farm.
Set and Costume Designer
Bunny Christie
Bunny Christie
Bunny Christie is a multi-award-winning production designer. She is the set and costume designer of Animal Farm.
Puppetry Designer and Director
Toby Olié
Toby Olié
Toby Olié is a director, designer and puppeteer. He is also co-artistic director of Gyre & Gimble, a theatre company specialising in puppetry.
Work as director includes: The Wolves in the Walls (Little Angel Theatre/Bristol Old Vic), Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Hartlepool Monkey (Gyre & Gimble UK tour); The Elephantom (National Theatre/New London Theatre) and associate puppetry director of War Horse (Gillian Lynne Theatre).
Work as puppetry designer/director includes: Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Light Princess, My Brilliant Friend and Hansel & Gretel (National Theatre), Don Quixote (Royal Shakespeare Company/Garrick Theatre); Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Ballet); The Wind in the Willows (Royal Opera House/Duchess Theatre), Disney’s new staging of The Little Mermaid (in Holland, Moscow & Tokyo); The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic/Trafalgar Studios), Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre/Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/UK tour), A Christmas Carol, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Firework-Maker’s Daughter and Peter Pan (Chichester Festival Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Secret Garden (Sarasota Ballet) and Goodnight Mister Tom (Duke Of York’s Theatre/UK tour).
Work as a puppeteer onstage includes: War Horse (National Theatre/Gillian Lynne Theatre); Venus and Adonis (Royal Shakespeare Company); Hospitalworks (Theatre-Rites) and Angelo (Little Angel Theatre), and on screen: National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage (BBC One); The Homeless Polar Bear (Greenpeace campaign film) and Mongrels (BBC Three).
Lighting Designer
Jon Clark
Jon Clark
Jon is an award-winning lighting designer. He is the lighting designer for Animal Farm.
Puppet Supervisor and Assistant Puppet Designer
Daisy Beattie
Daisy Beattie
Daisy’s work in puppetry spans across making, supervising and puppeteering. Daisy is the Puppet Supervisor and Assistant Puppet Designer in Animal Farm.
Associate Director
Josh Higgott
Josh Higgott
Joshua is a director and actor. He is the Associate Director for Animal Farm.
Puppetry Associate
Laura Cubitt
Laura Cubitt
Laura is a puppetry director, movement director and performer. Laura is the Puppetry Associate for Animal Farm.
Assistant Designer
Verity Sadler
Verity Sadler
Verity Sadler is the Assistant Designer for Animal Farm.
Take a sneak peak into rehearsals...
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
Photo credit, Manuel Harlan
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