1984

Matthew Lenton is the artistic director of Vanishing Point Company (Glasgow). For ERT he’ll direct a cast of Italian actors for the production 1984, based on the book by George Orwell.

What if you were being watched all the time?
What if the authorities knew what you were thinking?
What would be the worst thing they could know?
What if they could use it against you?

If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to worry about, right?

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history to suit the party line. Events that contradict the party’s version of the truth are deleted and history is rewritten. News is Fake. Winston is good at what he does, but a curiosity is awakened in him, a curiosity about the real past. And a woman. Is it possible to fall in love in this world? This question will have dangerous consequences for Winston and even see him condemned to the infamous, and terrifying, Room 101.
In a compelling and visually striking new production by Matthew Lenton, we will see how Orwell’s 1984 feels more prescient now than ever. In a world of constant surveillance, justified by the threat of terrorism, how far will the authorities go to control us?

Matthew Lenton is the founder and artistic director of Glasgow-based theatre company, Vanishing Point. His work with Vanishing Point has been performed across Europe, South America, Russia, Asia and China. Recent productions include: Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle and The 8th Door for Scottish Opera and Vanishing Point, The Destroyed Room (Edinburgh International Festival) and Interiors (Edinburgh International Festival/Theatre de la Ville Paris/FIBA Buenos Aires/Napoli Teatro Festival Italia/Stanislavsky Festival Moscow/Santiago A Mil Chile/BOZAR Brussels, Brighton Festival/New Classics of Europe Festival, Lodz); Tomorrow (Brighton Festival/Cena Contemporanea Festival, Brasilia/Stanislavsky Festival, Moscow/Hangzhou Westbrook International Arts Festival, China) and The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler (National Theatre of Scotland/Brighton Festival).
Recent work outside Vanishing Point includes Charlie Sonata by Douglas Maxwell (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh), The Merchant of Venice (National Theatre of Kosovo), Striptease and Out at Sea (Citizens Theatre Glasgow/FIT Festival, Lugano), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh), Mister Holgado (Unicorn Theatre, London) and Home (National Theatre of Scotland).Upcoming theatre shows include Tabula Rasa, a new collaboration between Vanishing Point and the Scottish Ensemble, inspired by and incorporating the music of Arvo Part.
In 2010, Matthew became the first British director of the Ecole des Maitres (CSS Udine). Matthew teaches regularly at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he sees his work with students as a crucial part of his own continued experience and as an opportunity to explore new material. Productions at RCS include Circle of Fifths by Szymona Bogacza, Dracula by Liz Lochead, Roberto Zucco by Bernard Marie Koltes, The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt and Ivanov by Anton Chekhov.