— 19th Season —
Animal Farm
October 16–19, 2025
Thurs., Oct. 16 & Sat., Oct. 18 at 7:30pm
Sat. – Sun., Oct. 18 & 19 at 3p St. Michael's Church 225 West 99th Street & Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025 Creative Team
Director: Jeffery V. Thompson
Stage Manager: Crystal Ramirez-Neil Scenic Designer: Harlan Penn Costume Designer: Katherine Roberson Lighting Designer: Stephen Cornelius Sound Designer: Zack Dornfeld Publicist: Michelle Tabnick PR Producer: Halina Malinowski Running Time: 105 minutes |
About Animal Farm
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a fable with a sting that feels sharper and more relevant today than ever. What begins as a joyous revolution—animals emancipating themselves from the cruel mastery of their human owner—darkens into a chilling portrait of power, propaganda, and the corruption of ideals. It’s a story that asks a terrifyingly modern question: what happens when the truth is whatever those in charge say it is?
In this gripping staged dramatic reading, you will meet beasts whose prototypes dominate our own news cycles. The animals’ triumphant dream is twisted into a nightmare, ruled not by a farmer, but by the even more ruthless and cunning pigs. Blending sharp humor with harrowing drama, Animal Farm is an emotional journey that unfolds in a mythical barnyard, but its warning about the fragility of freedom and the manipulation of language could be happening right in our own backyard. This powerful allegory will leave you shaken, and thinking, long after the performance ends. When Animal Farm was completed in 1944, it was met with immediate resistance. At the time, the Soviet Union was a key ally of Britain in the war against Nazi Germany, and publishers were wary of a book that so blatantly satirized the Soviet experiment. As a result, the manuscript was rejected by several publishers before finally being released in 1945. Despite the initial controversy, the book was a commercial success and has since been recognized as a timeless and essential work of political literature, solidifying its place as a classic of the 20th century. The mind behind this masterpiece was George Orwell, the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair. Orwell was a man of profound social conscience, and his work is characterized by its lucid prose, its sharp social criticism, and its staunch opposition to totalitarianism in all its forms. His experiences, from serving as a police officer in Burma to fighting in the Spanish Civil War, gave him a unique and unflinching perspective on the nature of power and injustice. This production brings Orwell's powerful and prescient vision to life on stage, reminding us why his voice continues to resonate so strongly in our own turbulent times. Cast
Christopher Michael Bauer*
Susan Case* Bob Greenberg Kathleen Huber* Alvin Keith* Darrie Lawrence* Roumel Reaux* John Robert Tillotson* *Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell (Bond) is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com. |
Production Photos
