JSU's Drama Department Presents "1984"

Joseph Carter

By Randy Wilson
JSU News Bureau

Jacksonville State University's drama department will present George Orwell's "1984" in the Ernest Stone Performing Arts Center on December 1, 2, and 3 at 7 p.m.

The production is being presented as a part of the senior practicum for JSU drama student Joseph Carter. A senior practicum involves a performance and a 30-page research paper detailing an actor's experiences preparing for a role.

Carter, a native of Cullman, will play Winston Smith in the production. Rachael Pearson also stars in the production.

"It's a unique experience," said Carter. "Very few actors get to perform in a science fiction production on the collegiate level."

"1984" is a science fiction play that attempts to capture the feel of Orwell's classic novel 1984. After the atomic war the world is divided into three states—Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. London is the capital of Oceania, which is ruled by a party that has total control over its citizens.

Winston Smith is a clerk at the Ministry of Truth in Oceania, formerly Britain, whose job is to rewrite newspaper headlines to change the past and provide a more positive image of the government. Oceania is currently at war with the continents of Eurasia and Eastasia.

Winston buys a diary and starts to write in a corner in his apartment where he is hidden from the omnipresent television  cameras that monitor the entire populace. One day he commits the crime of falling in love with Julia, played by Pearson.

They try to escape Big Brother's listening and viewing devices, but, of course, nobody can really escape. Winston is arrested and is subjected to torture that is designed to break him and turn him into a good citizen again.

"This is probably the most mentally draining role I have had to date," said Carter "But the outstanding cast I am working with makes the process easier. I can't thank them enough."

All tickets are $5, general admission, at the door.

---

Submit items for news releases by using the request form at www.jsu.edu/newswire/request.