Animal Farm stage adaptation cast, tour dates and more revealed

Casting, tour dates and venues have been revealed for the stage production of Animal Farm, adapted from George Orwell's classic satire.

Opening at the Birmingham Rep on 22 January 2022, the show follows a group of farmyard animals that grow to become increasingly politically conscious, only for their idealism to decay into brutal hardship when a group of pragmatic pigs manipulate the means of production.

After its Birmingham opening, the show will visit Cambridge, Newcastle, Bath, Norwich, Salford, Plymouth, Nottingham, Coventry, Blackpool, Liverpool, Canterbury, Richmond and Wolverhampton, completing its run on 28 May 2022 at Bromley's Churchill Theatre.

Appearing in the show are Matt Churcher, Darcy Collins, Enrico D Wey, Ailsa Dalling, Elisa De Grey, Edie Edmundson, Michael Jean-Marain, Rayo Patel, Yana Penrose, Markus Schabbing, Sharon Sze, Ben Thompson and Matt Tait.

The creative team will feature designs by Bunny Christie (Ink), while Toby Olié (War Horse) will oversee puppetry. Further creatives are to be revealed by the production.

Adapted and directed by Robert Icke, Animal Farm is presented by the Children's Theatre Partnership alongside the Birmingham Rep.

A musical version of the piece is also in the works, with playwright James Graham, Glenn Slater and Alan Menken working on the project.