Ever wondered what might be lurking in the shadows of the Illawarra escarpment? Photo: Children of Revolution.
The elusive Yowie – Australia’s answer to Bigfoot – is about to step out of the bush and onto the stage, courtesy of Wollongong’s own delightfully eccentric theatre collective, Vaguely Adjacent.
Their new live show, Squatch Watch: LIVE, is set to take over the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre later this month as part of Merrigong Theatre Company’s MERRIGONGX program and it promises to be unlike anything you’ve seen before.
On paper, Squatch Watch sounds like a cryptozoology podcast gone rogue and in many ways, that’s exactly what it is.
Performed live by emerging theatre-makers Nick Vagne, Sophie Florence Ward, Luke Standish and Frank Dwyer, the show spins out from a decade of “research” and recording. Think thermal cameras, conspiracy theories and hushed whispers about government cover-ups.
“We have finally found enough evidence to prove that there is a Yowie living within the Illawarra catchment,” Frank says.
“We will provide irrefutable evidence of this creature’s existence that will leave you spellbound.”
But the beating heart of Squatch Watch isn’t really the Yowie – it’s us, our yearning for wonder. Our need for mystery. And, as Nick Vagne explains, our unshakable tendency to believe in things, even when the evidence stubbornly refuses to show itself.
“A few years back I saw this super niche show all about people looking for myths and legends,” Nick says.
“What struck me was the passion and fortitude they had — no matter how many times they proved themselves wrong, they kept pushing forward. The thermal cameras would pick up nothing, and they’d just say it was the timing. There was always a reason.”
It’s that sense of stubborn wonder that Vaguely Adjacent has bottled, shaken up and poured into their new work. Part satire, part performance experiment, Squatch Watch takes audiences deep into the conspiracy fringes — but with a playful wink.
“We reflect the Bigfoot myth in a way that it’s both real and not real at the same time,” Nick says.
“We’re lying on a big scale, using classic misinformation to start shifting the narrative to expand it out of the show and into our normal lives.”
That blend of truth, trickery and tongue-in-cheek theatre is precisely why Merrigong artistic development manager Leland Kean wanted the work on the MERRIGONGX program.
“Since The X-Files hit our screens back in late 90s, conspiracy theories have had their own unique place in each generation’s development, but post COVID, the birth of fake news and the rapid increase in podcast culture have added a new dimension,” he says.
“I’m super excited to see this next generation of Illawarra artists tackle this space with our own home-grown conspiracy that roams the escarpment.”
For Nick and their collaborators, that “home-grown” quality is part of the fun.
“We’ve always had a drive towards the niche and the weird,” they say.
“So really, it’s no surprise we ended up with a project that pushed us to deep dive into the conspiracy fringes of our society for the last three years. It has meant everything to us to have had the chance to build and showcase this work here in MERRIGONGX.”
Playful, theatrical and at times, downright absurd, Squatch Watch aims to pull you into the myth-making, so you walk out just a little less sure of what you “know”.
Squatch Watch: LIVE runs from Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 September at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. For this event there is no set ticket price — simply reserve a spot, show up, then pay what you feel the performance is worth afterwards.
