Black Watch: style

Style of Black Watch

Verbatim Theatre is a make-up of the Black Watch’s style, where dialogue is directly derived from interviews and first-hand accounts of soldiers from the regiment.
This use of real testimonies adds credibility and authenticity to the play, allowing it to accurately portray the experiences and thoughts of those who served.
The soldiers’ dialects and manner of speech are deliberately preserved to maintain authenticity and paint a more accurate picture of their identities.

Physical Theatre is a substantial part of Black Watch, thus the physicality of the performance is just as important as the dialogue itself.
Choreographed fight sequences, dancing, and non-verbal bodily movements are used to tell part of the story.
Emotion and narrative progression are conveyed through these physical sequences, making them a fundamental part of the overall storytelling.

Devised Theatre plays a key role in the formation of Black Watch, where the script originates not from a single writer but a collaborative, explorative process.
The play developed from interviews and workshops with former soldiers, involving their personal experiences.
This formulation process allows the play to accurately represent the experiences and viewpoints of those involved in the events it portrays.

Black Watch utilises Immersive Theatre techniques to blur lines between the audience and the actors to intensify emotional impact.
Performances are presented in a way that the audience feels directly involved in the action, some even taking place in a simulated army drill hall.
Such approach is aimed to envelop the audience in the play’s atmosphere, offering a more engaging and multi-sensory experience.

As a Political Theatre, Black Watch puts forward powerful commentary on the UK’s role in the Iraq War and upon the political decisions behind the war.
This political commentary is merged with documentary-style portrayals of real-life events, shaping it into a Documentary Drama.
Despite being a work of drama, the play revolves around factual events and real-life interviews, using these to present a critique of war, nationalism, and the treatment of soldiers.