SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING Comes to Open Dance Project

Open Dance Project will present Panopticon: Someone is Always Watching – the first of three immersive fan favorites being brought back by Open Dance Project in celebration of their 10th Anniversary Season. Set in the year 2151, Panopticon: Someone is Always Watching  is an hour-long immersive, multi-media production choreographed by Annie Arnoult in collaboration with the performers and inspired by Open Dance Project's research into the sci-fi world of retro-futuristic dystopias. Set in a world where “citizens” are constantly being watched, a la George Orwell's 1984, Panopticon follows two would-be lovers struggling with their desire for physical and emotional intimacy in a world where deep, human connection is forbidden. 

“Panopticon” refers to a glass prison designed by the 18th century social philosopher and theorist Jeremy Bentham where all (“pan”) inmates could be watched (“opticon”) over by one guard, situated securely and invisibly inside a central tower, unseen by the prisoners themselves. Because the prisoners did not know if or when they were being watched at any one moment in time, the policing power of the guard's vision was both constant and completely independent of the guard's actual presence in the tower.  French philosopher Michel Foucault seized on Bentham's Panopticon as the symbol of the disciplinary power of the surveillance state - a central theme in the dystopian classics Brave New World and 1984, both of which provide fodder and inspiration for Open Dance Project's new work. 

Important Note: Panopticon is an hour long immersive production, with audience and set pieces moving throughout. There is no traditional audience seating. The performance is wheelchair accessible. 

Accessibility services for this production include: Complementary companion tickets, mobility support, touch tour, Audio Description, Assisted Listening, and mobile closed captioning through tablet. These services are “on demand” only and are available by request at least 1 week prior to performance. To reserve these services, please email access@opendanceproject.org

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