Perse actors bring Orwell’s Animal Farm to life

George Orwell’s Animal Farm was brought to the stage by Perse Year 10 students on Friday 15 May and Saturday 16 May in a production that combined physical theatre and puppetry to bring Orwell’s classic political fable to life.

Originally published in 1945, Animal Farm is one of George Orwell’s best-known works and is studied widely in schools, including across The Perse English curriculum. The novel tells the story of a group of farm animals who overthrow their human owner in the hope of creating a fairer society, only to see their revolution gradually corrupted as power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few. Orwell’s allegorical novella explores themes of power, propaganda, inequality and the dangers of authoritarianism, ideas that continue to resonate with readers nearly 80 years after it was first published.

The Year 10 production was based on Tatty Hennessy’s contemporary adaptation of the 1945 novel and approached Orwell’s story through the perspective of young people attempting to build something better than the world they inherit. Blending ensemble performance, puppetry and movement, the production examined what happens when a community with good intentions begins to turn against itself.

Director of English and Drama, Chris Green, who recently published a review of Tatty Hennessy’s adaptation in the Spring 2026 edition of Drama (National Drama’s magazine of professional practice), said “Works by Orwell (including the novel Animal Farm) are taught across our English curriculum, so this production was a truly collaborative exercise which was enjoyed by – amongst others – students who are studying the original novel.”

“It was great to see the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) stage a new play version of the novel by Tatty Hennessy (instead of the familiar, admired version by Old Persean Sir Peter Hall). The novel remains as relevant as ever for young audiences and performers, and the PAC team did their usual fantastic job with the staging.”

A huge congratulations to all the students, staff and PAC team involved for their hard work and commitment in bringing Animal Farm to the stage. Through ambitious staging and collaborative performance, the production demonstrated both the enduring relevance of Orwell’s work and the creativity and talent of Perse performers and production teams.