STAB season of WATCH - back home to BATS Theatre 1 Kent Tce

My Accomplice and BATS Theatre in association with Goldthorpe Creative present
Hannah Banks, Miranda Manasiadis, Paul Waggott and Jason Whyte in the STAB season of

WATCH
by Uther Dean & Meg Rollandi

22 November – 13 December, 7.30pm
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce
TICKETS: $24/18
BOOKINGS: www.bats.co.nz / book@bats.co.nz / 04 802 4175

You are never alone. We can see you.
You have nothing to hide. Not that you have a choice.

We live in a world of surveillance – from the big government extremes of the GCSB and the revelations of Edward Snowden to everyday uses of Facebook and Google manipulating our view of the world.

Every day we are surrounded by varying levels of surveillance that mean we are always being watched, whether we realise it or not.

WATCH exists in a world where government observes anyone of criminal suspicion to keep the general public safe. Professionals are trained to observe criminal elements and they are very good at their jobs.

New recruit Esther has her first job in the field. A suspected terrorist cell has emerged in Mount Cook and it’s up to her to monitor their activities to get the evidence to bring them down. Before it’s too late.

We can see you. We can see everything you do. Every minute boring detail of your lives. We observe, record, report, and repeat. Every moment of every day. Don't worry. It’s all for your own good. Trust us. Not that you have a choice.

STAB is a sought-after annual commission geared towards defying theatrical boundaries and is offered by BATS Theatre with generous support from Creative New Zealand. This year’s STAB commission gives audiences the exciting opportunity to explore the psychology and language of surveillance in a theatre setting.

WATCH seamlessly integrates AV technology across two performance spaces in the newly renovated BATS Theatre in a cutting-edge synthesis between live theatre and the distorting lens of surveillance and on a scale not seen before on Wellington's stages. 20 live cameras, 16 screens, and 6 projectors are used to create an environment where the audience is complicit in the voyeuristic experience of spying on someone else’s life.

My Accomplice and the WATCH team are introducing audiences to the new BATS Theatre at 1 Kent Terrace after almost two years of earthquake strengthening and refurbishment. Producer David Goldthorpe says the company is excited to be creating the first show in the new venue “BATS is our creative home, we’re honoured and humbled to be showcasing the new theatre and we’re ready for the challenge!”

• CAST: Hannah Banks, Miranda Manasiadis, Paul Waggott, Jason Whyte and Elle Wootton
• Designed by Meg Rollandi with Andrew Simpson, Marcus McShane and Tane Upjohn-Beatson
• Written by Uther Dean
• Directed by Uther Dean & Meg Rollandi

MY ACCOMPLICE was formed in late 2009 by Hannah Banks, Uther Dean and Paul Waggott. Since then they've made more shows than they can count including Joseph K (nominated for 5 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards), A Play About Space (Winner of Best Design at the New Zealand Fringe and Best Theatre at Dunedin Fringe), Everything is Surrounded by Water(Best Solo – NZ Fringe) and the highly popular podcast audiodrama series The Witching Hours. The artistic goal of My Accomplice is to activate our audiences and we believe that the only way to make something for other people is to make something for ourselves. We find interest in the common micro-absurdities of everyday living. We want to define the barriers between people and to create works where everyone involved owns a piece of that work. www.myaccomplice.co.nz

GOLDTHORPE CREATIVE is a Wellington production company run by David Goldthorpe and Debbie Fish, known for their work on The Performance Arcade and the hugely successfulWellington LUX Light Festival. We delight in bringing together talented creatives and skilled practitioners, fostering relationships to achieve ambitious projects. We are very excited to be working with My Accomplice and BATS Theatre on WATCH. www.GoldthorpeCreative.com

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