From 25–27 September, the performance collective Vaguely Adjacent (Nick Vagne, Sophie Florence Ward, Luke Standish, and Frank Dwyer) brought their quirky production Squatch Watch: LIVE to MerrigongX.
This experimental work set out to probe our relationship with conspiracy theories, certainty, and the noisy world of online spaces. Loosely styled as a live riff on the podcast format, the show mixed tongue-in-cheek commentary, audience interaction, and bursts of music and movement.
At its best, the comedy found sharp timing and delivered genuine laughs; at other moments, the wit fell a little flat. Still, the quartet’s energy and willingness to play with the audience kept things buoyant. The bigfoot/sasquatch/yowie conspiracy was explored with irreverent gusto, complete with dancing, improvisation, and a range of interactive stunts that drew strong engagement – especially from the largely under-25 crowd.
As devised theatre, Squatch Watch is both messy and inventive, a playful experiment that doesn’t always land but succeeds in creating a lively, participatory experience. With free tickets and a pay-what-you-like model, the company’s generosity of spirit matched their enthusiasm on stage, and the audience’s response suggested the experiment was well received.
The MerrigongX venue itself is spacious and welcoming, with excellent café offerings and plenty of room to relax pre- or post-show – an ideal setting for this sort of unconventional work.
To book tickets to Squatch Watch: LIVE, please visit https://merrigong.com.au/shows/squatch-watch-live/.
