Review of 'Are You Watching?': A Stark Examination of Online Voyeurism
Are You Watching? review – unflinching, fury-filled interrogation of the vile side of the web

Image: Theguardian
Georgie Dettmer's play 'Are You Watching?' confronts the disturbing aspects of our engagement with sex and violence online. Through the lens of two teenage girls, the play explores themes of voyeurism and the emotional detachment that accompanies viewing such content, ultimately challenging the audience's complicity in these narratives.
- 01The play features two teenage girls discussing the worst things they've seen online, highlighting the emotional distance viewers maintain.
- 02Directed by Jess Edwards, the performance utilizes a multi-rolling cast to depict various disturbing online behaviors, including child abuse and deepfakes.
- 03The structure of the play is choppy, which may detract from its momentum, but it effectively critiques how society consumes violent content.
- 04A significant real-life case of a woman raped and filmed serves as a grounding element, emphasizing the play's themes of exploitation and moral responsibility.
- 05Despite its anger-driven narrative, the play fails to explore the broader moral implications of voyeurism beyond the extreme examples presented.
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In 'Are You Watching?', Georgie Dettmer delivers a raw and unflinching critique of our relationship with online content related to sex and violence. The play centers on two teenage girls, portrayed by Kosar Ali and Abby McCann, who discuss the most disturbing things they have encountered online while safely perched on a bunk bed. Under the direction of Jess Edwards, the performance showcases a multi-rolling cast that vividly illustrates the depths of human depravity found on the internet, including themes of child abuse, deepfakes, and exploitation. Although the play's structure lacks momentum due to its choppy transitions between scenes, it effectively raises unsettling questions about our complicity in the consumption of such content. A particularly jarring moment is the inclusion of a real-life case involving a woman who was raped and filmed, which serves to ground the narrative in a grim reality. While the play's anger resonates, it ultimately struggles to expand its critique beyond the most extreme examples of voyeurism, leaving audiences to grapple with their own roles in the narratives they consume.
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