Category: 1984

Meet the Cast of 1984 – Michael Anderson is Winston Smith!

  1. Hi! Who are you , and what is your role in this production? My name is Michael Anderson, and I’ll be playing Winston Smith.
  2. What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I’ve been in numerous plays in the Edmonton area and on Vancouver Island. This is my first Walterdale show.
  3. What brought you out for the show? Because it’s a good and interesting story, and I wanted to do a show that my brother, John, was involved in.
  4. Why do you think audiences should see this show? Audiences should see this show, because of the challenge that the team takes on, turning a largely expository novel into a dramatically staged show.
  5. 1984 (the play), based on the novel of the same name, portarys a vision of a dystopian world, What is your favourite dystopian book or movie, and why? My favourite dystopian movie is The Matrix, because it was the first one I was exposed to, as a kid.


Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images

Meet the Cast of 1984 – Madeline Setzer is the Loudspeaker!

  1. Who are you and what is your role in the production? I’m Madeline Setzer and I play the role of the Loudspeaker. The Loudspeaker is the face of Big Brother propaganda – any message or news to be shared to the masses is done by the Loudspeaker, and in a way that makes the collective emotionally charged in one direction or the other. There is no ambiguity on the bias.
  2. What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? This is my first Walterdale production. I have spent most of my life doing theatre in one capacity or another, with many chances to explore a variety of works and spaces. I absolutely love it.Why did you come out for the show? Why did you want to do it? Walterdale has been a staple in the Edmonton theatre scene for many years. I had read the novel 1984 a couple of years ago, and was both in love with and shocked at the dystopia of it. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to experience the Walterdale theatre scene.
  3. Why do you think audiences should come see the show? If anything, 1984 has grown in relevance. It’s hard to learn from our mistakes unless we see them repeated back to us in a way that shakes up our mindset. That is what this show can do. The calibre of artistic direction and performance will only lend itself to a new heighten this depiction of 1984. It’s not something to be forgotten, but instead we need honest reminders of the state we must avoid as a world.
  4. 1984 (the play) is based on the novel of the same name that predicts a dystopian future (many of us read it in high school)… what’s your favourite dystopian novel/movie and why? My favourite dystopian novel is The Hunger Games. There continues to be something so profound about using youth to present the worst potential parts of society – because they also have the ability to change it. The many worlds of separation, and especially of class systems, always intrigues me. I hope that we can learn from these fictional stories and prevent them from one day becoming our reality.