Playhouse Prize- Animal Farm 'How Corruption and Conceit Corrode from within'

For this years Playhouse Prize we were instructed to create a speculative design for an adaptation of George Orwell's 'Animal Fram' for the Nottingham Playhouse. My Design Landed me in the top 3 candidates, the winner to be announced in May 2025.

We had almost full freedom in our designs, our only constraints being that we must stick to a strict budget of £45,000, as well as venue constraints of the Playhouse, and that 'all animals must appear human'.

Animal Farm story board - Act 2 Scene 12

My concept was to create an eery, corroded farmyard environment that carefully mirrors our present day political and social climate. Focusing on Sexism, the class divide & the bourgeoisies; through the placement of political objects and having an all-female cast, bar a select few members (humans, Napoleon and Squealer). My stage will be overlooked by an inauspicious rusted wall that is mainly used by the humans to convey the power divide, and the right-hand side of my stage will be overwhelmed with a rubbish ‘barricade’ to represent the animal's rebellion. My costumes will be made of mainly ‘found’ or discarded materials but be put together in a ‘stylish’ way to give the idea that the animals are making the best out of their situation.

Animal Farm - Costume line up

My research ranged from 'Les Miserables' poignant use of a Barricade, as well as the uncomfortable atmosphere created in Jamie-Lloyd's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Whilst also looking into historical world politics, the rise and fall of the Berlin wall being a significant inspiration for my design work, and the artist Thierry Noir, who was the first individual to 'de-face' the Berlin wall with his art.

This project brought my research, tech and design skills together. I used not only my drawing skills for costumes and set, but also model making skills for my final 1:25 model, and tech skills when formatting my AutoCAD side elevation and ground plan, my TwinMotion representation of the stage and my Sketch up drawing of the set design.

Animal Farm 'How corruption and conceit corrode from within' 1:25 Model

GroundPlan for Nottingham Playhouse

Side Elevation for Nottingham Playhouse