By Dee Jae Cox
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
… George Orwell, 1984
In a house that reflects the beauty of America in the heart of Palm Springs, with sunshine streaming from a dozen windows and cool breezes from the perfect desert winter, The Green Room Theatre Company presented an interactive reading of the stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984.
“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”
… 1984
Published in 1949 by author George Orwell, 1984 is a dire warning about Authoritarian leadership and totalitarianism. It portrays how governments can seize absolute power by controlling information, manipulating language, and committing psychological torture in order to control, not just actions, but thoughts, truth and personal freedoms. An earie foretelling of what many Americans fear is happing in America under the current administration.
The novel was adapted for the stage by Michael Gene Sullivan in 2006. (A later version was written by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan in 2013.)
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears…. The lie passed into history and became truth.” …. 1984
The interactive reading of 1984 was produced at multiple locations around the desert, with the closing performance being held at the exquisite home of the play’s Director, Jerome Joseph Gentes. The Cast- Jonathan Brett (Winston,) Jenne Carey (Julia,) Willie Farrad Mullins (O’Brian,) Bedjou Jean (Narrator,) and a group of energetic audience members, presented an emotional and a horrifying realistic presentation of a story that Orwell himself viewed as a warning against fascism and not an actual prediction of things to come.
“If the facts say otherwise, the facts must be altered.” …. 1984
The interactive reading was a powerful presentation, the depth and implications perhaps better understood in context, if one has read the book, but the message was presented with the understanding that –
“No one seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.” …. 1984.
Theatre has always been an integral reflection of our cultures, our belief systems, our hopes and our fears. And none epitomizes that better than The Coachella Valley’s Green Room Theatre Company, a 501 c 3 nonprofit, founded by David Catanzarite and his wife Karen Lin. Now in their seventeenth season, the Greenroom is renowned for introducing theatre to a multitude of audiences around the Coachella Valley.
Their cultural sensitivity and representation are only some of the many virtues that make this theatre group vital to the desert community. Presenting new works, reinvented classics, and touring productions, the Green Room introduces theatre to enthusiasts, as well as underserved communities. Offering educational classes to youth, as well as adults.
As a part of the Public Humanities Initiative, funded by California Humanities, The Green Room Theatre Company is using public history records to develop a new play based on the history of Section 14. (Section 14 refers to a one-square-mile area in downtown Palm Springs, California, which was a predominantly minority community in the 1950s and 60s. The City of Palm Springs systematically destroyed, burned, and bulldozed homes and belongings in this area to make way for development, leading to a 2024 reparations settlement of nearly $6 million for victims and their families.) Four Community listening sessions will be held January 29th thru April 19th to aide in creating this production.
The Green Room’s ‘Newish Shakespeare Festival,’ upcoming productions include “American Moor,” a solo play written by Keith Hamilton Cobb. This play uses an audition for Shakespeare’s Othello as a framework to explore race, identity and the experience of Black men in America. Directed by Kathryn Ervin, it will run in repertoire with “Como Te Gusta,” March 13th through April 4th at various locations throughout the Coachella Valley.
Como Te Gusta (As y’all Like It,) is a one-hour adaptation of Shakespeare’s “As you Like It,” in Spanish, cowboy English and Shakespeare’s original language. Directed by David Catanzarite and running in repertoire with “American Moor,” March 13thth through April 4th.
For more information on the Greenroom Theatre Company, their shows and classes, visit their website at: www.grtccv.org.
