{"id":12966,"date":"2019-02-19T15:56:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T15:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blasttheory.co.uk\/?p=12966"},"modified":"2019-04-15T10:22:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T10:22:18","slug":"why-we-made-operation-black-antler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blasttheory.co.uk\/what-is-operation-black-antler\/","title":{"rendered":"Going undercover: what is Operation Black Antler?"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Operation\n

 <\/p>\n

With our collaborators Hydrocracker<\/a>, we have just launched Operation Black Antler<\/em> \u2013 an immersive theatre work in which members of the public are invited to go undercover at a protest meeting on the fringes of British society. Like many of the projects we\u2019ve made, it is a risky work that puts the audience in a situation they would not normally be in.<\/p>\n

The experience begins with a text message telling audiences where and when to meet. Then, in a small groups, they work to develop their undercover identity, learning about their targets and their motivations before going operational. Part role play game, part interactive theatre, at its heart Operation Black Antler<\/i> is an invitation to explore the moral and ethical dilemma of how far undercover surveillance is acceptable in the name of state security.<\/p>\n

You decide on your cover story and how far you want to take it. Audiences have told us that they feel empowered by this \u2013 it\u2019s fascinating to me that people are so hungry to understand where \u2018the other side\u2019 is coming from. I believe to really enter into a debate about the ethics of state sanctioned surveillance and how far it should go to protect its citizens, we need to step into different shoes.<\/p>\n

Operation Black Antler<\/em> gives participants an opportunity to meet, build empathy with and ultimately try to win the trust of someone whose political and moral views may be the polar opposite of our own. We\u2019re acutely aware of the heightened atmosphere of political turmoil and anxiety around us \u2013 making the context of the piece all the more real and raw.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s very much affected the way we\u2019ve treated the script and the characterisation. Whilst it\u2019s impossible to predict exactly where Britain will be come opening night at Southbank Centre, one thing is certain: that it\u2019s unlikely to be a settled political picture and we\u2019ll be constantly adapting the script in response to that.<\/p>\n

It may be a work of fiction but our experience is that works of this kind have a powerful effect on those who take part. It is not a world of easy certainties. It is challenging and it is not for everyone. I hope that you will come to the Southbank Centre and let us know what you think.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Operation Black Antler is at London’s Southbank Centre from 3 \u2013 13 April this year. Book tickets via the Southbank Centre ticket office<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You can learn\u00a0more about the themes explored in\u00a0Operation Black Antler in\u00a0<\/em>Undercover with Rob Evans and Paul Lewis<\/a>,\u00a0Liberty Human Rights: No Snooper\u2019s Charter,\u00a0<\/a>Police Spies Out Of Lives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Operation Black Antler<\/em>\u00a0is a work by Blast Theory and\u00a0Hydrocracker<\/a>. Co-commissioned by\u00a0Ideas Test\u00a0and\u00a0Brighton Festival<\/a>,\u00a0Operation Black Antler<\/em>\u00a0has been developed with support from\u00a0Arts Council England<\/a>\u00a0and in\u00a0partnership with\u00a0Dramatic Resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  With our collaborators Hydrocracker, we have just launched Operation Black Antler \u2013 an immersive theatre work in which members of the public are invited to go undercover at a protest meeting on the fringes of British society. Like many of the projects we\u2019ve made, it is a risky work that puts the audience in… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":12993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[]},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGoing undercover: what is Operation Black Antler? | Blast Theory<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blasttheory.co.uk\/what-is-operation-black-antler\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Going undercover: what is Operation Black Antler? | Blast Theory\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  With our collaborators Hydrocracker, we have just launched Operation Black Antler \u2013 an immersive theatre work in which members of the public are invited to go undercover at a protest meeting on the fringes of British society. Like many of the projects we\u2019ve made, it is a risky work that puts the audience in... 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