Abingdon Drama Club is set to mark a major milestone in its history this autumn, stepping beyond its long-established home at the Unicorn Theatre to present its first-ever touring production — and doing so in one of the most evocative locations imaginable.
The company will stage Nick Hern’s adaptation of 1984, based on the seminal novel by George Orwell, at All Saints Church, Sutton Courtenay — the very churchyard where Orwell is buried.
Running from 28 to 31 October at 7.30pm, the production transforms the historic church setting into the oppressive world of Oceania, immersing audiences in a reimagined landscape of surveillance, ritual and control.
Conceived specifically for the site, the production blends choral voices, electronic soundscapes and stark visual design, creating an environment that merges theatrical storytelling with the atmosphere of the sacred space itself.
The result is intended to heighten the tension between authority, belief and memory — central themes that run through Orwell’s dystopian vision in 1984.
The staging also reflects a practical turning point for Abingdon Drama Club, whose Unicorn Theatre venue is currently closed for renovation. Rather than pause activity, the company has chosen to expand outward, taking its work directly into the community and into a location deeply connected to Orwell’s legacy.
Director Alex Jenkins said the choice of venue adds an additional layer of resonance to the production, noting that there are few places more fitting to stage 1984 than the author’s own resting place.
The production, he suggested, offers a rare opportunity to bring one of the twentieth century’s most enduring warnings about truth and power into a space that itself carries cultural and symbolic weight.
First published in 1949, 1984 remains one of the most influential works of modern literature, its exploration of propaganda, surveillance and historical revisionism continuing to resonate strongly in contemporary political and digital contexts.
By situating the performance at Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon Drama Club extends that resonance beyond the page, inviting audiences to experience Orwell’s world not just as fiction, but as an environment layered onto a real place of memory and reflection.
The production runs 28 to 31 October. Tickets are priced at £15 (£12 concessions) and are available from The Bookstore in Abingdon and online via abingdondramaclub.co.uk.
