In Dan Bishop's new comedy Target Audience, a gen Z intern's end-of-times anxiety becomes chillingly justified when a government alert orders everyone indoors. Isabelle (RhéAna Kamalu) quips, “I’ve never read anything Greek, but I bet if feels exactly like this,” capturing the play’s shift from lighthearted industry satire to a darker, politically charged vision.
From TV parody to apocalyptic insight
The play begins as a jolly send-up of the vacuous screen industry, dominated by charismatic bullshitters like Angie (short for Angus, played by James Coward) and the tyranny of audience data. It evokes BBC’s W1A or David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow, as a production company brings in politically sensitive writer Tobias (Henry Calcutt) to add edge to their scripts in development.
Two of those scripts are Citizen 54 and Thorns. Without the poster for Horizon (tagline: “The future is round”), you might think they had never made a film, preferring endless days of platitudes and statistics. Angie, with sidekick Bruiser (Molly Windust), flatters Tobias as quickly as he undermines him, making clear he is not an artist but a cog in the machine.
Familiar material, fresh execution
Though the material is familiar, the actors make it seem fresh in Bishop’s entertaining production. The scene changes could be trimmed for pace, but the playwright is playing the long game. What emerges from the airhead character comedy is a satire about moral compromises that affect not just the television we watch but the late-capitalist power structures we inhabit.
Funny yet politically astute, Target Audience runs at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 30 August. It is part of the Edinburgh festival 2026 lineup, which includes 10 other critically reviewed shows.
