Pictured: (top, l to r) Alexandra Bennett, Lauren Demerath, Lorraine Freund, Rory Jobst and Amy Kasper with (bottom, l to r) Ray Kasper, Tim Larson, Sarah Lo and Nora Lise Ulrey.

AstonRep Theatre Company has announced the cast and creative team for the first production of its 17/18 season, 1984 based on George Orwell’s classic novel and adapted for the stage by Robert Owens, Wilton E. Hall Jr., and William A. Miles.

Directed by Artistic Director Robert Tobin, the production features Ray Kasper as Winston Smith, Sarah Lo as Julia, Amy Kasper as O’Brien, Alexandra Bennett as Parsons and Tim Larson as Syme with Lauren Demerath, Lorraine Freund, Rory Jobst and Nora Lise Ulrey.

The production team includes Jeremiah Barr (scenic design, props design, technical director), Aja Wiltshire (costume design), Samantha Barr (lighting design, sound design, production manager), Robert Tobin (projection/video design), Ian Harris and Sara Pavlak McGuire (voice overs), Matthew Hahn (dramaturg), Dana Anderson (asst. director) and Heather Branham Green (stage manager).

Based on the novel by George Orwell, 1984 is a terrifying and breathtaking view of a world controlled by a totalitarian government. Orwell asks what is left when freedom of speech, the press, love, and even the past are subject to authoritarian whims? Big Brother is watching. A theatrical event that is both powerful and disturbingly provocative.

1984 runs September 14 – October 8 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago. For more information visit astonrep.com.