Immersive theatre: 2084 transforms Manchester Central Library

An immersive theatre production is set to transform Manchester Central Library after dark, with George Orwell’s compelling vision of the future at its heart. George Orwell’s now-classic novel 1984 presents a dystopian version of a world where state control supersedes individual freedoms. Published in 1949, various aspects of Orwell’s nightmarish vision have come to pass, although not quite in the way he imagined them: Big Brother, the leader of the Party in Orwell’s narrative, found an echo in the Big Brother reality TV show, an exercise in invasive surveillance for entertainment. Now, the theatre company Pure Expression have re-conceived the framework of Orwell’s totalitarian state within the digital age: in 2084, the audience is transported to the heart of a state in which every act, word and thought of the citizens is monitored. Specially conceived for the unique spaces in Manchester Central Library, including the historic Reading Room, this immersive drama will unfold and reflect on the age of social media and digital corporations; a world in which everyone is tracked, analysed and influenced.