1984 written by GEORGE ORWELL. adapted for the stage by STEPHANIE SANDBERG Show Logo from 1984 ROLE COMPANY THEATRE CITY DIRECTOR ATTENDANCE PERFORMANCES   SOUND DESIGNER/COMPOSER WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LENFEST HALL LEXINGTON CITY, VIRGINIA STEPHANIE SANDBERG 543 4 Overview   Writer and Director Stephanie Sandberg received permission from the Orwell estate to make an adaptation of 1984.  This was Orwell’s final creative work before his death and although it served as commentary on late 1940’s European totalitarianism, she adapted it for our time with an emphasis on three themes.  The first of these themes is freedom of information and the ability to fact check information that seems validated by the formality of video screens.  Secondly, she emphasized Orwell’s emphasis on the value of relationships and the need to seek intimacy and truth.  The final theme is the equality of all individuals and the right to live in freedom without “Big Brother” dictating reality. In my conversations with Stephanie, she described the world of 1984 as urban, industrialized, and polluted to the point of being deadly.  As the play begins, society is preparing for the coming Hate Week and she thought it would be important to hear futuristic music with punk or metal roots blending with the industrialized environmental sounds later when these scenes happen. Juxtaposed with this would be themes for Julia and Winston which also serve as leitmotifs to guide the audience through the play.  There is also a haunting rendition of “Oranges and Lemons go the Bells of St. Clemens” that repeats several times during the play symbolizing Winston’s memories of his past. Stephanie also talked about a group of people called “Future People” she would add to her adaptation.  She described this group as people from the future watching from somewhere else, as if they are reading Winston’s journal as he is writing it.  These people provide hope to the audience that Winston’s story has meaning and possibly transforms the world after his time. Finally, a song for live performance needed to be composed. "Hopeless Fancy" was sung by a woman outside of Charrington's shop needed to sound like the melody was "manufactured" by a computer. I used software for creating random melodies to inspire this music. The production had minimal scenic elements and relied heavily on sound and music to provide setting and mood.  It required a mix of dramatic sounds required by the script and aesthetic music and sounds created to enhance mood.  For all telescreen related voices, I recorded and altered my own voice.  I created frenetic and quirky orchestral music as overtures and transitions and angry sounding metal music to represent the integral music for Hate Week.  Julia’s theme was composed for a solo viola and Winston’s theme for the bassoon.  These were written so they could be played together as a duet.  Example Paperwork   Sound Cue List Script Scene Breakdown Director's Notes "Hopeless Fancy" Sounds   EXAMPLE 1 OVERTURE, JULIA'S THEME, AND SOUNDSCAPE Welcome to the world of 1984. We first hear a frenetic overture and then as lights reveal the first scene, we see Winston encountering Julia on the street. We hear the desolate city scape representing the world they live in. EXAMPLE 2 TELESCREEN EXAMPLES This is an example of the telescreen voice that controls Winston's life. EXAMPLE 3 MINISTRY OF TRUTH ANNOUNCEMENT Winston sits in a cafeteria and is "fed" propaganda through this Ministry of Truth announcement. EXAMPLE 4 JULIA AND WINSTON'S THEME Julia's theme is performed using the sound of a viola. Winston's theme uses a much deeper Bassoon sound. These two melodies were written in such a way so they could be combined into a single piece of music. EXAMPLE 5 WINSTON'S IMAGINED GUNSHOT Winston listens to a story told by Parsons about a potential spy who was identified by his girlfriend. When Winston asks what happened to the spy, Parsons mimes him being shot in the head. Winston hears the sound in his head. EXAMPLE 6 THE ERASURE OF OLGIVY In this scene, Winston is sitting at his desk with a "sea" of other works at their desks altering data. Winston is being asked by his telescreen to erase all records of person Olgivy. The actor portraying Winston interacted with this recorded voice. Each of the recorded responses in this example was a different cue to be triggered after each of Winston's responses. EXAMPLE 7 TWO MINUTES OF HATE Everyone assembles to be subjected to their daily "two minutes of hate." In this example there is a warning siren, countdown, and then a "hate machine" is powered on to create a "terrible sound." EXAMPLE 8 FREEDOM IS SLAVERY This music was primarily used for transition. The beginning underscores a brief moment when Julia presses a small piece of paper into Winston's hand containing the words, "I love you." EXAMPLE 9 MUSIC BOX EXAMPLE The music box plays "Oranges and Lemons" and his heard several times throughout the play. The music takes Winston back to his childhood. EXAMPLE 10 WINSTON'S THEME AND FUTURE PEOPLE In this example we hear the Bassoon and Harp. The Bassoon is Winston's "half" of the Julia and Winston Theme. This crossfades into an underscore where a chorus of people from the future watch the choices Winston makes and comments on whether or not his is being safe. EXAMPLE 11 CONVENTION CENTER COLLAGE Julia and Winston are creating banners for "Hate Week" at the community center where loud, abrasive music is blasting. The moment becomes expressionistic as the music fades into a dream state and is layered with Julia's Theme. During this moment, she whispers to Winston to take the train to stop 38 on the next day and meet her in the woods. Click here to listen to the original song playing in the collage titled, "All Must Hate." EXAMPLE 12 TRAIN TO THE COUNTRY In this example, we hear Winston riding a train. When the telescreen voice announces stop 38, he exits through sliding doors to a stylized, peaceful natural environment. In the middle of this example, the music box is heard as Winston remembers a time with his Mother. The soundscape then returns to the glade. He then returns to the train. EXAMPLE 13 RAT IN THE WALL Winston's biggest fear is rats. While spending time with Julia in a room rented to him by Charrington, Winston breaks down upon hearing a rat scuffling in the walls. EXAMPLE 14 HATE WEEK SOUNDSCAPE As Winston walks through the city, we hear the distant sound of pounding music for Hate Week as he passes the community center. I wrote two separate pieces of music of this as he walks by the center twice. The first piece is called "No God." The second is "Everybody Dies." EXAMPLE 15 WINSTON'S RAT DREAM Winston's is startled after waking up from a dream of rats attacking him. EXAMPLE 16 THE WHITE ROOM Winston is taken to the "White Room" at the Ministry of Love. He is there with other people who have been identified as free thinkers. EXAMPLE 17 THE SHOCK MACHINE O'Brien connects wires to Winston's head and body and administers electric shock until Winston's thinking aligns with the "state." EXAMPLE 18 RAT TORTURE, JULIA'S THEME, CITY SCOUNSCAPE O'Brien attaches a mask/cage to Winston's face and it is filled with rats. As Winston is overcome with terror, a cacophonous collage of all the sounds of the play overtake the scene and we a left with Julia and Winston meeting in the city. Production Photos by Kevin Remington and Shawn Paul Evans   Winston is Tortured Two Minutes of Hate Hate Week Preparations On the Train The Future People The Ministry of Love HOME • ABOUT • VITAE • GALLERY • <<PREVIOUS NEXT>>