TARGET AUDIENCE to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut with Dan Bishop Dark Comedy
The Keep It Fringe Fund recipient's satire follows writer Tobias caught between morals and a mortgage.
TARGET AUDIENCE, a new dark comedy by writer and comedian Dan Bishop, will make its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut.
Set in the near future, the play follows Tobias, a television writer who is offered a lucrative contract to create a pro-weapons sitcom after a production company receives instructions to align its programming with a new government initiative preparing the country for war. Faced with mounting financial pressures, Tobias must decide whether to compromise his principles or turn down the opportunity.
What begins as a satire of the relationship between government and media evolves into a thriller when an emergency alert places the characters in immediate danger, forcing them to confront the realities behind the narratives they help create.
Drawing inspiration from political satires such as In the Loop, Wag the Dog, and Dr. Strangelove, the play explores the influence of technology companies, media organizations, and defense interests on public life. Through comedy, it examines questions of power, safety, information, and responsibility in an increasingly interconnected world.
“I've been finding it increasingly surreal how giant tech corporations have infiltrated almost every aspect of society,” said Bishop. “Take Amazon, an online retailer, which is now also a movie studio whilst simultaneously hosting AI software used in drone warfare. Or Palantir, a data processing company which aids missile attacks whilst also helping newsrooms tailor their content to reach new audiences.”
He added, “I find this all baffling and also quite frightening. So, to make it less scary, I've tried to make it funny.”
Bishop is the recipient of a Keep It Fringe Fund award and previously wrote Brainsluts, which sold out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before transferring to London. The play was shortlisted for the Popcorn Writing Award and was a Charlie Hartill finalist.
Through satire and suspense, TARGET AUDIENCE examines how media narratives are shaped and asks what happens when entertainment, politics, and technology become increasingly difficult to separate.
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