“Jasmine Swan’s playful design has a livid, rural-punk aesthetic, all neon-pink gilets and postapocalyptic leatherwear. Opaque plastic curtains, reminiscent of a slaughterhouse, hang at the back wall, where the grotesque silhouettes of the farm’s human enemies loom like overstuffed scarecrows. ”
“The animals of Manor Farm parade around the stage, their species groups distinguished by thoughtful details – pink waistcoats for the pigs, brown leatherwork and straps for the horses, white pompom and tutu for the sheep. The most excellent costume of all is saved for Farmer Jones. He looms behind the blood-splattered, abattoir-style plastic curtains which frame the stage, his silhouette huge and threatening. He storms the playing space, adorned with rubber trousers, wellies, and a comically oversized tartan blazer with gargantuan, slanted shoulders. He is rendered into some kind of daunting video game megaboss.
What follows is a true powerhouse of a production. Tatty Hennessy’s adaption of the political fable is witty, snappy, and scattered with small, humanising moments.”
Animal Farm (National Youth Theatre Studio, Royal & Derngate & Site Specific performances at Soulton Hall Farm)
Adapted by Tatty Hennessy
Director - Ed Stambollouian
Set & Costume Designer - Jasmine Swan
Lighting Designer - Zoe Spurr
Choreographer - Vicki Igbokwe
Composer - John Elliott
Sound Designer - Xana
Musical Director - Jordan Clarke
Vocal Coach - Marcia Carr
Photographer: Helen Murray