Communism. Oppression. Corruption. 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.'

A spell-binding performance by members of the Questors Theatre in Ealing. Yesterday was the first night of Animal Farm and not a seat was empty: the production presented by a young cast ages ranging from eight to seventeen brought Animal Farm to life, a famous novel by George Orwell regarding the corruption of the Communist ideal. It tells the story of a seemingly ideal world; animals revolt against their cruel master and form a collective, working together democratically. What could go wrong? Power. A stray cog lodges itself inside the brains of the pigs, infecting them and corrupting them. An unique portrayal compiled of singing, choral work and spectacular acting takes the audience away to another world, each character representing someone. Notably the excellent and menacing portrayal of Napoleon by Dinah Newall representing the evil; the hard working character of Boxer symbolising the working class; and Squealer: those in power can twist and manipulate the truth and gain political and social control.

Upon arrival, after claiming my two tickets I was fascinated with the intricacies of the set and design. Everyone was extremely welcoming and courteous. Undoubtedly watching Animal Farm will remain a precious night to remember, the eloquent script and acting were incredible with impressive staging of a large cast of 43 on the horseshoe shaped stage. I am sure I am speaking for everyone who witnessed that first night: you would not believe some of the actors had never performed before in front of anyone or that they had only five weeks to create it. When the lights dimmed then lit up for the interval, around me people were rubbing their eyes like they had forgotten we were in a theatre in Ealing, not on Animal Farm. It was enchanting, thought-provoking and offered a range of perspectives about communism yet also tinged with humour

Following the production, I was extremely fortunate to have a backstage tour witnessing the magic behind the scenes. Alex Marker, a critically acclaimed set and costume designer who did a three year degree course and set designer of Animal Farm,  gave an intriguing tour of the other world behind the cyclorama, the 'sky cloth.' Everyone who worked on the production were volunteers. It was a tight budget for costumes, set and props all created in a short space of time. The set was created from recycling what they already had and utilising plastic cups and even chopped up yoga mats to make props for the animals hooves and legs. The production team are already planning next year's productions, the next production following Animal Farm is A Midsummer's Night's Dream .Behind the scenes are a mesmerising cacophony of things, each individual whether they are stage manager, lighting, acting are all pieces of the puzzle forming the whole wondrous production.

The first night is always a daunting prospect especially for the children who had never performed before, Alex Marker said 'The wonderful thing of Youth theatre productions are that it is one of the things where bonds build across year groups.' It was fascinating to see the wardrobes, workshops, different period clothing, haberdashery cabinets and so much more.

With productions, it's not all about the long words used, or lots of dramatic sound effects, the storyline is crucial. Alex Marker said:

'The best performance of A Midsummer's Nights Dream I've seen was in French; when scripts are translated into other languages they constantly change and despite my lack of knowledge of the language, it was the best production of it with a powerful storyline.'

In forty years time will the production we saw this year, this month still have an impact? Will we still remember it? For me, I will never forget Animal Farm. Animal Farm at Questors Theatre which has been in Ealing since 1929 originally a small Church Hall group and now an amazing place. Animal Farm is definitely a worth watching production: you will not come out the same person you were when you went in.

Buy your tickets now, they are already limited, and at only £7 for adults and £3 for under 16s. The production is suitable for a wide range of audiences and is approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes with a 15 minute interval. The remaining performances are on the 23rd and 24th at 7:15pm and an extra performance at 2:30 on the 24th of February.

For more information, see http://www.questors.org.uk/

By Yii-Ling Deng

Newstead Wood School