The Vanguard Production of Animal Farm opened last Friday, Oct. 5, and ran throughout the weekend, closing on Sunday, Oct. 7. The production was nothing short of spectacular and in narrative theater style.

“No one has done this type of theater before,” said Ken Zimmerman, Director.

According to the director’s notes, narrative style theater depicts characters speaking of themselves in the third person and in the voice of the author. Animal Farm is told in the voice of George Orwell, the author of the book by the same title.

Actors within the production portrayed their characters to perfection, conveying much imagery and engaging the audience to use their own imagination. The set was simple, but was superb, also adding to the imagery conveyed. The cast gave outstanding performances, comprised of sophomore Derrick Casey of Humboldt; junior Eric Danz of Martin, junior Stephanie Dowell of Franklin; freshman Jessica Eslinger of Newport; freshman Julia Gutierrez of Dresden; senior Joyce Harris of Dyersburg; junior B. J. Keeton of Lawrenceburg; freshman Nick Mounts of Centerville; senior Nichol Pritchard of Union City; sophomore Grant Pugh of Milan; freshman Tim Rainey of Huntingdon; freshman Ana Shaw of Knoxville and senior Bethany Wintermute of Selmer.

When asked if he was pleased with the results of the production, Director Ken Zimmerman replied, “Absolutely! These folks worked so hard and came so far. They learned a lot both as actors and as students.” Zimmerman will be directing the next Vanguard production, The Foreigner, a comedy, as well.

Also in attendance at Sunday’s performance was Gloria Baxter, who wrote the adaptation of Animal Farm into play form. “It exceeded my expectations,” Baxter said of the performance. “The clarity of ideas and the images were beautiful. One could feel the energy connection between the audience and the ensemble—of every individual on stage. It takes tremendous concentration.”

“Ken and I did the play together in 1967. Ken played Squealer,” Baxter said of director Ken Zimmerman. “In this production, Ken was able to transcend timeliness. It was not an issue. The play holds a special place in my heart. The audience was totally engaged. The set design was beautiful.”

“I thought it was good,” Lauren Singleton, a Graphic Design junior said of the performance. “I enjoyed it. The way it started out reminded me of how my high school did A Midsummer Nights Dream. They both started out reading a book, then went right into the play. It was a wonderful play, wonderfully done.”

“It is amazing to me that the cast had enough time to memorize their lines in addition to their regular assignments,” said Doug Billings, a Middle School History Education senior. “It was good. They did a fantastic job. I liked B.J. and thought he did a great job. They were all good and it was well worth coming to.”

“I enjoyed it, especially the beginning,” said Andy Neilsen, a Biology freshman. “It led up to the suspense—a tremendous job of acting.”

The performance was fresh and exciting, and a refreshing departure from regular plays and plot structure. The imagery was flawless, showcasing the many talented actors we have on the UTM campus, both of the actors on the stage and the crew behind the stage that made the production possible. A successful run.