A daring new play examining relationships between governments and individuals in an age of mass surveillance is coming to The Studio at The Lowry this February.
Combining physical theatre with text, In the Vice Like Grip of It watches a romantic relationship unfold in a domestic setting. With nothing to fear and nothing to hide, it makes sense to share everything with the person you love most. Or does it? What happens if you suddenly realise the person you live with is watching you?
In the Vice Like Grip of It watches a woman through the fourth wall of her home. A camera hidden in a lamp next to her is projected across the room. When she speaks, her voice is caught by the microphone in her smart phone and amplified to you. She opens her laptop and an image of her face flickers across the wall. You watch her type: ‘I think I’m being watched’.
Unearthing the scale of mass surveillance, In the Vice Like Grip of it looks at how many ways we can be ‘watched,’ and the paranoia that ensues. Web cam, medical records, google sharing, 3rd party, consumer history; the scope for surveillance is so large that ivo theatre ask if this is a problem? If it’s for our safety, why do we feel so nervous? And when does mass surveillance become targeted surveillance.
ivo theatre personalise the feeling of being ‘watched’ through relatable experiences leaving audiences questioning how their own lives might be being monitored, how our civil liberties are affected by consenting to giving personal information.
Duo Jo Tyabji and Olivia Furber founded ivo theatre in 2012. For this project ivo theatre bring together Tom Slater, sound artist and founder of Call&Response; Cate Blanchard, experimental video and theatre designer who teaches music production on the UK’s premiere drag course; and actor Leigh Kelly (LAMDA) who has worked with the late Ken Campbell.
Co-director Olivia Furber says, “It’s really important to us that sound and video are part of how we devise material, In The Vice Like Grip Of It uses digital media and projection to make a theatrical language for the 21st century. We take inspiration from companies like Coney who are integrating technology into their processes.”
In The Vice Like Grip Of It is performed by Leigh Kelly & Jo Tyabji, with direction from Olivia Furber and sound and visuals design from Tom Slater and Cate Blanchard.
Listings
In The Vice Like Grip Of It
Dates: Fri 26 – Sat 27 Feb
Times: 8pm
Tickets: £12 / £10 (No booking fees)
Book: Call Box Office on 0843 208 6000 or online http://www.thelowry.com/event/in-the-vice-like-grip-of-it
