That's according to the Players' president, Grahame Foster, who has had a close hand in their upcoming play.

Their latest endeavor will be a story that needs no introduction: George Orwell's 1984, with the Players performing the stage version of the classic novel, adapted by Matthew Dunster.

The storyline is the same: an ordinary man trapped in an oppressive society ruled by the all-seeing 'Big Brother' struggles to find his own version of inner freedom and love in the dystopic society.

The grimness of the book has been translated to the stage in Dunster's hand: reviews of the play comment on its "brutality" and "relentless menace" in a " sometimes extreme but always enthralling adaption" (The Independent).

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The Players warn that the production is rated MA15+. It is not advised for children under 15, due to its simulated violence, suggested nudity, low level coarse language and adult themes.

The Dunster play has become an "official" theatre version of sorts of the novel.

Putting it on required the Launceston Players seeking permission from the literary executor of Orwell's estate.

"[The] estate has granted permission for the Players to stage the same production recently presented in London," explained the Players' Jeff Hockley.

Director Megan Jolly said that it was quite a coup for the Players to be able to present the play in its entirety.

"Nineteen eighty-four is a very dramatic work," she said.

"Audiences will be on the edge of their seats for most of the show.

"In this current world of fake news and rewriting history, 1984 is a perfect play for a modern audience."

Indeed, anyone who has read any political commentary in recent times - or most likely since the book was published in 1949 - can't have escaped its influence on modern culture.

The themes of political doublespeak, totalitarian repression, the chilling implications of constant surveillance, and the use of fear-mongering to control a population have crossed over to the stage.

But Players' president Grahame Foster said it was also worth seeing purely for its production value.

"The company has assembled a very talented cast and artistic team for the production," he said.

"They will amaze audiences with their complex staging."