Meet the Cast of 1984 – Geordie Cheeseman is Martin!
Hello Geordie! What is your role in this production? I will be Martin in 1984. Martin is an enforcer of the Inner Party. He is O’Brien’s manservant and he follows orders without question, but he is Big Brother personified and is always watching for anyone who steps out of line. He provides a menacing presence throughout the play. He is the lead guard. He tortures Winston in a couple of scenes.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? This is my first play at Walterdale and my second play ever. My first play was at the 2019 Edmonton Fringe Festival where I was the lead in The Anal Stage. I am also rehearsing for another play out in Devon, called Allocating Annie. Performance dates follow 1984 in March.
What brought you out for the show? I auditioned because I really enjoy the stage. The play in the summer really got me interested in live performances. I have been in many television, commercial, and film productions over the past two years after I retired from the military. Acting has always been a passion of mine and now I have the time to follow it.
Why do you think audiences should come and see the show? I think audiences will be drawn to a classic story. Who doesn’t know the name George Orwell? There are probably many die-hard Walterdale fans that would attend regardless but I would watch it for the title alone.
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? Planet of the Apes and Star Wars are my favorite dystopic movies but my favorite books would be The Handmaids Tale, The Chrysalids (read in grade 7!), The Time Machine, Animal Farm, The Long Walk, and A Wrinkle in Time. If I had to pick, I would pick Animal Farm (Orwell again, lol) because it takes us on a journey from ignorance to enlightenment and then back to ignorance again. The story is a ‘fast forward’ of how a society is lead into an oppressive dictatorship that sometimes takes generations to manifest, and it seduces people who are looking for a ‘better life’ by painting their current life as being ba-a-a-a-d.
