Watch

Overview

Predisposed to paranoia? You will be after a night at Watch, hosted by the newly renovated BATS Theatre.

Taking inspiration from the world of surveillance in which we live, the story of Watch begins with Esther, a new government recruit as she takes her first job on 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 (cue dark and dramatic music).

Every minute detail of your experience in the theatre will be observed, recorded and reported. Watch unleashes a cutting-edge synthesis between live theatre and the distorting lens of surveillance across two performance spaces on a scale not seen before on Wellington’s stages. With 20 live cameras, 16 screens and six projectors, Watch creates a world where the audience is complicit in the voyeuristic experience of spying on someone else’s life.

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

Creepy in the most entertaining of ways, Watch is presented by the sought-after STAB commission geared towards defying theatrical boundaries, giving audiences the chance to explore the psychology of surveillance in a theatre setting.

“Don't worry. It’s all for your own good. Trust us. Not that you have a choice.”