The Party

The political party that ruled in George Orwell's powerful novel, 1984, is back:

This time there's no torture, only a great night's entertainment with some Orwellian twists, in The Party, a 5 star experiential event for one night only at a 4 star hotel [Dublin’s Morrison Hotel], on Sunday 14th September, running as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe 2014.

This transmedia-theatrical experience starts for the audience from the moment they buy a ticket. They are invited to a closed Facebook group where The Party will prod and poke their allegiances, monitor their online behaviour, and gauge their suitability for party membership. At The Party launch, the audience experience all the trappings of a glossy party political launch and meet the Candidate on whom the Party has pinned great hopes.

In The Party, directors Aoife Courtney and Deirdre Lennon from Ready Fire Aim attempt to explore questions such as: How would a totalitarian regime look, think and talk in today's social media-driven society? How does power manifest itself and how can it take a hold of Fringe-going Dubliners? What will it take for audience members, used to a passive role in theatre productions, to be persuaded to participate? And how far will they go?

Speaking about the production, creative producer Sabina Bonnici from FizzyThinking said, "Taking its storyworld cues from Orwell's novel, 1984, we want this interactive production to leave a lasting impression on the audience, prompting them to think about who or what Big Brother might be in today's society."