Difference between revisions of "Animal Farm (2026)"

Latest revision as of 17:14, 4 March 2026

Poster by Callum Read

by George Orwell, adapted by Tatty Hennessy

Directed by Mattea Thomas-Gray and Greg Williams

Performances: Monday 9 – Saturday 14 February, and Saturday matinee 2026, Old Fire Station

Introduction

All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others. Three casts totalling 70 actors from our Youth Theatre bring Orwell's allegory to life in a contemporary stage adaptation.

Preview from SLT website

What led you to choosing Animal Farm for this year's show?

As we always say it’s a challenge to find something engaging and interesting for the huge size of cast we always need! Luckily this year the decision to split into three means we had a bit more scope to explore. Coming across Tatty Hennessy’s adaptation felt like a real dream, as not only was it a story a lot of our actors knew and connected with, it also takes place on a farm where we can have loads of different animals all in one place. This lent itself to our huge cast size and age group perfectly!

How does your rehearsal process work with three big casts, and how do you involve the youth members in the entire show?

The rehearsal process works a lot like a normal show, but each scene is rehearsed three times with different young actors playing the roles. We have loved this as we get to see a range of performance styles and choices. It also means you can really see the nuance of characters in the story as each time the scene is performed, something new comes up.

How has Tatty Hennessy adapted the story for the stage?

This version is quite stripped-back, with not all the characters who appear in the book appearing on the stage. The dialogue is very plot-driven which helps move the story on at quite a pace. From only a 70-page novella, Tatty Hennessy has created a real sense of drama and character for the stage, with fast-paced scenes and short, sharp dialogue. This has meant it’s been a great script for our young actors to get their teeth into!

Who are the principal characters we'll meet?

(Actor names quoted for each cast) The great part of this adaptation is how ensemble-led it is, meaning there’s not a main character and everyone gets their time to shine. That being said, all the well-known names are there, with Old Major (Seth Page, Darius Mourdi Toppani and Cillian Bain), Napoleon (Isaac Timms-Hardy, Florence Cosgrove Williams and Jamie Corcoran), Snowball (Misha Owen, Rosa Skinner and Otto Shippey), Squealer (Dan White, Huey Enkelmann), and Nutmeg (Tabitha Ellis-Jones, Nina Swaine-Detnon and Margot Oliver) heading up the pigs. Horses Boxer (Bonnie White, Sasha Malyon, Mia Tuohy) and Clover (Juliette Purvis, Maggie Stober and Ella Preusser) play a vital part in helping the animals run the show after farmer Jones is run off the farm. These are joined by a host of other animals, beautifully brought to life by our young actors.

How do you think Animal Farm still resonates today, and what did your young actors discover?

We have found this to be an exceptionally current piece, grappling with themes of power, personal and political freedom and community. The feeling of wanting to belong and be proud of our community has never been more pertinent in all our lives than now, and this is one of the things that makes this story so current. Our actors know the story very well (many of them having already studied it at school), so it was exciting to go into a rehearsal process in which they knew so much of the context, historical and otherwise, of the story. It’s been a joy to watch them put this knowledge to practical use to flesh out characters and moments in the story that may have otherwise been missed.

Describe the play in three words

Ambitious. Punchy. Bold.

Orwell Cast - Monday / Thursday / Saturday

• Old Major (a pig) - Seth Page
• Clover (a horse) - Juliette Purvis
• Molly (a pony) - Amelie Burnell
• Napoleon (a pig) - Isaac Timms-Hardy
• Clara (a hen) - Alexandra Binsted
• Carol (a hen) - Eva Collins
• Minty (a sheep) - Lorenzo Marino
• Snowball (a pig) - Misha Owen
• Boxer (a horse) - Bonnie White
• Milo (a pigeon) - Eden Turner
• Mindy (a pigeon) - Diana Garcia-Ledesma
• Maxine (a pigeon) - Nick Wood
• Mildred (a pigeon) - Lizzie Statham
• Mags (a pigeon) - Florence Speight
• Benjamin (a donkey) - Milo Clements
• Billy (a donkey) - Frank Abell
• Squealer (a pig) - Daniel White
• Blue (a dog) - Leon Vennard
• Buster (a dog) - Seth Page
• Nutmeg (a pig) - Tabitha Ellis-Jones
• Voice of the Farmers - James Charles Crawford

Pilkington Cast - Tuesday / Friday

• Old Major (a pig) - Cillian Bain
• Clover (a horse) - Ella Preusser
• Molly (a pony) - Anoushka Singh
• Napoleon (a pig) - Jamie Corcoran
• Clara (a hen) - Penny Sundt
• Carol (a hen) - Ruby Nice
• Connie (a hen) - Freida Richards
• Minty (a sheep) - Holly Stocks-Marsh
• Snowball (a pig) - Rosa Skinner
• Boxer (a horse) - Mia Tuohy
• Milo (a pigeon) - Erin Fielder
• Mindy (a pigeon) - Elspeth Lewis
• Maxine (a pigeon) - Ava Robertshaw
• Mildred (a pigeon) - Nouria Samar
• Mimi (a pigeon) - Celia Boyd
• Benjamin (a donkey) - Archie Vernon-Smith
• Squealer (a pig) - Huey Enkelmann
• Blue (a dog) - Chloe Symmons
• Bella (a puppy) - Betty Lyons
• Bay (a puppy) - Liv Collins
• Nutmeg (a pig) - Nina Swaine-Detnon
• Minimus (a pig) - Ava Emilia Millard
• Voice of the Farmers - James Charles Crawford

Jones Cast - Wednesday / Saturday matinee

• Old Major (a pig) - Darius Mourdi Toppani
• Clover (a horse) - Maggie Stober
• Molly (a pony) - Marie Scriven
• Napoleon (a pig) - Florence Cosgrove-Williams
• Clara (a hen) - Pearl Howard
• Carol (a hen) - Romilly Tennan
• Connie (a hen) - Lena Plimmer
• Minty (a sheep) - Rebecca Munoz
• Snowball (a pig) - Otto Shippey
• Boxer (a horse) - Sasha Malyon
• Milo (a pigeon) - Jimmy Cowan Black
• Mike (a pigeon) - Noah Courtin
• Max (a pigeon) - Arlo Mirza
• Mildred (a pigeon) - Maggie Cameron Kay
• Mimi (a pigeon) - Matilda Corcoran
• Mindy (a pigeon) - Louane Lekal
• Benjamin (a donkey) - Valentine Sirikanda
• Squealer (a pig) - Huey Enkelmann
• Blue (a dog) - Idris Perry
• Nutmeg (a pig) - Margot Oliver
• Minimus (a pig) - Bridget Bluck
• Voice of the Farmers - James Charles Crawford

Crew

• Assistant Director and Stage Manager - David Clements
• Stage Crew - Aaron White, Alexander Jagger, Amelie Stans, Anna Issac, Barnaby Peacock, Daniel Morrell, Emma Cooper
• Lighting Design - Mick Thomas with Tom Mathias
• Sound Design - Dean Moore
• Lighting and Sound Operators - Rachael Lovegrove and Lee Ridgeway
• Artistic Design - Pippa Tuck with stage crew
• Music Consultation - Alan Walker
• Photography - Sophie Davies and Phil Gammon
• Rigging - Sean Thomas
• Set Build - Anna Laverly, Graham Clements, Sean Thomas, Tim Allwright, James Hebblethwaite, Chris Purcell, Barry Heselden, Mark Ireson, Dennis Fenton, Alistair Simpson, Evan Fountain, cast and crew
• Youth Theatre Manager - Teresa Donoghue

Reviews

Some review quotes go here

Gallery

Reminiscences and Anecdotes

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See Also

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Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.

References

External Links

• This play on the web