Director's Commentary (1)  Who'd have thought, only three short years since joining the Chameleons and my first foray into acting as a very nervous Valère in Tartuffe that I would be co-directing and starring in one of English literatures greatest works. George Orwell’s classic Nineteen Eighty-Four has been a passion of mine for a long time. I have always related to Winston Smith and seen something of myself in him. His mistrust of the state, his ideas that something was not quite right with the world he lived in, the way we are constantly bombarded with lies and propaganda and how we are watched more and more every day all our thoughts and movements monitored, never accepting anything on face value, always questioning.
So I decided to see if there was a stage version available that we could possibly perform. After much searching I found Ciaran McConville who had written an adaptation which his theatre company performed in 2003 at the Edinburgh Fringe. He had managed to squeeze the novel into a very workable hour and a half. It virtually cast itself, I knew straight away who I wanted in each role. The only question was who was going to play Julia, but when seeing Clare in a Hull Playgoers production at Hull Truck my mind was made up and the line up was complete.
They were all amazing and I think anyone who came to see the production would agree. Ray as O’Brien was terrifying and, as always, an inspiration to play opposite. Andy’s ranting and pleading as Syme in the prison cell were spine chilling and Clare brought such emotion to the role of Julia, especially the final scene, heartbreaking! I would like to say a massive thanks to all the cast for their time and efforts, Ed for stepping in at last minute to play a member of the Thought Police and Helen for the fantastic make up. A big well done and thank you to Tim for his first efforts as a Chameleon (I know how nerve wracking it is).
Would also like to thank all my friends and family for their help and support, for putting up with me over the last few months and my obsession with this project (must have been sick of hearing about it). The biggest thanks though must go to David for all his help and guidance and for giving me this opportunity to be part of what was one of the best experiences of my life. I personally dedicated my performance to my Dad, Norman, who was a big fan of amateur theatre and musicals and also trod the boards himself in the 50’s and 60’s in Hull. He was my inspiration, one of the main reasons for me getting into acting in the first place. I would like to think he was watching and approved. 
And remember, never believe anything you read or hear in the media, do not take anything at face value, always question, don’t just accept and comply. In the words of the great man himself "Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two equals four, if that is granted all else follows" Simon

Quote, Unquote  This was my third appearance with the Chameleons and the experience has been just as enjoyable. Playing the part of a Thought Policeman gave me the opportunity to beat up my fellow cast members. Once again, I was called upon to show my dancing prowess. This time with ...Ed!! Thankfully the latest edition of the Newspeak dictionary has deleted all of the words that could be used to describe that performance!! Simon has wanted to perform and direct this story for some time and has pulled it off spectacularly. Very atmospheric Mike
Yet again another enjoyable production. Everyone put so much effort, time and thought into their characters which made the play come to life. The blood, sweat and tears that Simon put in was worth every minute. A big thank you to Helen for her creativity in giving us all bruises and cuts, it looked very realistic and helped us all to get into character. This was a brave production to put on but with the great cast, strong direction and much needed support backstage the end result was excellent. I will miss my boiler suit and not to mention the pipe cleaners! Clare
I  loved the experience of playing someone really bad not in the camp sort of way that Pinchwife was in The Country Wife but really, really bad. As a result, I found rehearsals and performances very strange. I felt a bit separated from everyone and sat on my own a lot, participating only a little in the humorous shenanigans that usually ensued. I'd like to thank Simon for giving me a great opportunity and I can only hope that I did it a bit of justice Ray
I thought everyone was brilliant - Ray gave one of his best ever performances for us. But I hated the beatings and couldn't watch when Andy was dragged off to Room 101. And a comment from one of my friends, "My attention never wavered throughout. It was gripping stuff and the performances were excellent - O'Brien in particular was a commanding presence and very scary". Now I want to reread the book! Betty

Director's Commentary (2)  My first exposure to Nineteen Eighty-Four came when the BBC repeated the infamous Peter Cushing version in the late 1970’s. First broadcast in 1954, it retained it’s power to shock over twenty years later. (It still does, even today). I was about thirteen at the time and remember being horrified at the bleak conclusion - the final image of Winston weeping into his Victory Gin whispering “I love Big Brother” stayed with me for days afterwards. I bought and read the novel the moment I could get to WH Smiths.
So when Simon mentioned he'd found a stage adaptation and was  looking for some assistance with the directing as a) he’d never directed anything before and b) playing Winston Smith, he was onstage all the time - that's where I came in - the Debbie McGee to his Paul Daniels! He already had strong ideas about who he wanted to cast, though I have to admit that I pushed for Clare to play Julia and, when she inexplicably didn’t get the part she’d auditioned for with Hull Playgoers, we were lucky enough to be able to use her again. (Their loss, our gain).
It was a technically and emotionally challenging piece to rehearse but, as usual, we still managed to have a laugh. However, being the more experienced director, I was very conscious of trying not to tread on Simon’s toes and to bring to the stage the version of Nineteen Eighty-Four he had in his head rather than the one that was in mine. Judging from the thunderous applause at the end of every performance, I reckon we succeeded David