Faces look out from the window of Abingdon Drama Club on Marcham Road.

They make you stop and wonder what plays they belong to. Soon, Big Brother could be joining them with his all-seeing eye.

Abingdon Drama Club will perform George Orwell’s 1984 at All Saints Church, Sutton Courtenay, from 28–31 October. The production will transform the church into the world of Big Brother.

Written just after the end of WWII in 1948, Orwell’s warning about the manipulation of truth still feels relevant: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”

With the Unicorn Theatre being revamped, Abingdon Drama Club has moved to an unusual but very fitting setting for 1984. Nearby in the churchyard lies Eric Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell.

His gravestone is simple and partly hidden by rose bushes. On top are coins and small tokens left by visitors from different countries. Other mementoes have been placed in a box behind the gravestone to keep it looking tidy.

Behind Blair’s grave is the slate-grey gravestone of David Astor. Following Blair’s wishes, Astor arranged for him to be buried in an English parish churchyard rather than anywhere grand.