Reimagining Orwell

This paper examines the latest dramatization of George Orwell’s allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945), a production of the “Luceafărul” Theatre for Children and Youth, Iași, written and directed by Victor Olăhuț, marking both the 75th anniversary of the theatre and the 80th anniversary of Orwell’s political dystopia, a surprising choice considering the text’s historical and political weight. The paper will discuss Ferma animalelor. O fabulă (Animal Farm. A Fable, in the original English version) as a creative reinterpretation, a reimagining of the text in order to make it relevant and understandable for a younger demographic and the accompanying adults. The focus in this case study will be on the adapter/director’s creative choices, especially those reflected in the character portrayal and the rewriting of the political fable’s themes for a younger audience, as well as the creative team’s artistic vision reflected in the visual and experiential composition of the performance, highlighting how the production engaged with Orwell’s critique of authoritarianism considering its educational implications (as suggested by the adapter/director in his “Director’s Note”), and the broader significance of staging Animal Farm as a production for a (very) young audience in a post-communist country and in a very complicated geopolitical context.