Dan Bishop’s Target Audience brings sharp satire and dark comedy to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, examining the increasingly tangled relationships between media, government and technology in a near-future world.
When a television production company is instructed by Whitehall to align its output with a new agenda preparing the public for war, panic sets in. In an attempt to comply, they hire an ambitious writer to create a pro-weapons sitcom, forcing him into a moral dilemma between financial security and personal integrity.
What begins as a biting satire quickly evolves into a tense, locked-room drama when an emergency alert places the characters in immediate danger. As the situation escalates, the play explores themes of power, influence and the uneasy relationship between entertainment and political messaging.
Drawing inspiration from classics of political satire, Target Audience uses humour to navigate complex and often contradictory ideas about safety and control. It offers a timely reflection on the role of media in shaping public perception in an increasingly volatile world.
Target Audience runs at Pleasance Courtyard (Above) from 5 – 30 August at 16:50. Tickets are on sale here
