Contents

– Introduction
– Press contact
– Press release
– Trailer
– Hi-res images
– Notes to editors
– Credits
– Performances

Blind Faith Theatre present

I See You Watching
Devised by Melanie Stewart, Kylie Westerbeck and John Clancy

Directed by Melanie Stewart
Text by John Clancy

30 July – 24 August at 20:30 (not 11, 19)
Gilded Balloon Patter House (Doonstairs)
(60 min)

Award-winning playwright returns to the Edinburgh Fringe to tackle the male gaze and #MeToo in this darkly funny production.

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Press contact

For more information, images, interviews, filming or press tickets, contact:

Michelle Mangan PR
hello@michellemangan.com
Tel: 07979 227 909

Press release

I See You Watching, a haunting, rigorous and sometimes brutal theatre show devised by Melanie Stewart, Kylie Westerbeck and John Clancy, is a darkly comic tale of sexual power that exposes the invisible cages confining women in today’s world.

On a bare stage, a woman (Kylie Westerbeck) fights for survival while navigating the relentless demands of a master of ceremonies (David Calvitto) who dictates her worth. Forced to perform while trapped in the male gaze, she must unravel the expectations that bind her and find a way to escape – or revolt.

I See You Watching is the result of three years of development led by Director Melanie Stewart a long-time collaborator of author, and playwright John Clancy (The Event), as well as actor Kylie Westerbeck. The work is a funny, sometimes brutal show that pushes the boundaries of conventional theatre, including the audience as complicit participants in the imaginary world of the play that mirrors contemporary society.

I See You Watching is a dark comedy that resonates with women. It captures their experience navigating their position, power, and vulnerability in relation to men in a heteronormative relationship. Men viewing the show, resonate with an awakening to its brutality. All audiences are invited to participate in the experiment of this show and its “Me Too” potential to mirror their lived experience.

Melanie Stewart, the director of I See You Watching, says, “I love how this show has the power to unveil the raw, authentic experiences of women. As a theatre artist, I strive to push boundaries—creating work that stirs our humanity, awakens our emotions, and transports us beyond the ordinary. My hope is that audiences see glimpses of themselves within the imaginary worlds we bring to life.”

Trailer

Hi-res images

You can either click on these thumbnails to open a hi-res version in a new tab, or download them directly from Dropbox.

Notes to Editors

About Melanie Stewart

Melanie Stewart (Director / Collaborator) creates darkly absurd movement-driven theatre focusing on the nuanced, weird, and vulnerable side of American culture.

She was the Artistic Director of Melanie Stewart Dance Theatre from 1984-2014, producing over 50 original works of dance and movement-driven theatre for the concert stage, in dance/film/video, and education, both nationally and abroad. Presently, she is the Artistic Producing Director of Blind Faith Theatre.

As a critically acclaimed director and choreographer, Stewart’s awards include numerous grants and fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts, Dance Advance/Pew Charitable Trusts, The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the New Jersey Council on the Arts. She is also a Leigh Gerdine Distinguished Alumna Award winner from Webster University. Her recent productions include; MONSTER, a Frankenstein play (2024), Just Like Hollywood (I See You Watching) (2023), Small Gifts (2020), In America, That is to Say No Where (2019).

About John Clancy

John Clancy (Text / Collaborator) is a contemporary American playwright, novelist and director. He was a co-founder and first Artistic Director of the New York International Fringe Festival and its producing organization The Present Company.

His written work centres mainly on the American experience and is characterized by dark humour and farce. His best-known play is Fatboy: An American Grotesque, a modern re-working of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi. His monologue The Event premiered in Edinburgh in 2009 and has gone on to tour Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and the United States and has been translated into Greek and German.

Clancy’s directing has earned six Fringe First Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and two Best of Fringe Awards at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. He was awarded a 2005 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Direction, a 2002 Glasgow Herald Angel Award for Excellence in Direction, a 1997 New York Magazine Award, and a 2008 Dialogue ONE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theater.

About Kylie Westerbeck

Kylie Westerbeck (Performer / Collaborator) is a NYC based actor/musician/photographer.

Professional credits include: Nocturne, The Lydie Breeze Trilogy, Curse of the Starving Class and Company, (EgoPo Classic Theatre), Witness for the Prosecution (Bristol Riverside Theatre) and Our Town (People’s Light Theatre Company).  She has produced several original works including Complexity (DC Fringe) and Peg! (Philly Fringe) and has released two original albums: Bellow (2018) and Summertime (2019).

Presently, Kylie is pursuing her MFA in Acting at the Juilliard School (Group 56).

About David Calvitto

David Calvitto (Performer) was born in America and has lived for most of the last 12 years in London.

Last year, he appeared in Cock at Theatre de Capucins in Luxembourg followed by The Marilyn Conspiracy at the Park Theatre in London where he played Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson.

Other London credits include: Juror 2 in 12 Angry Men at the Garrick Theatre in the West End; Elder Jay in The Christians at the Gate Theatre; These Shining Lives and 9 Circles, also at the Park Theatre; Americana Absurdum at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Other credits: The Shawshank Redemption, Gaiety Theatre, Dublin; The Odd Couple, Theatre-at-the-Mill, Belfast; with Secret Cinema: Bladerunner (London) and Casino Royale (Shanghai). He’s toured John Clancy’s solo play The Event around the world including in Adelaide, Amsterdam, Belfast, Berlin, London, Luxembourg, New York and Perth, Australia.

He’s appeared in 7 Fringe First winning plays in Edinburgh, two of which he also produced. He also directed Fringe First winner, Enterprise, by Brian Parks. Awards: The Stage Best Actor award for Horse Country, Edinburgh Festival Fringe; Best Theatre Performer award for The Event, Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Credits

Devised by: Melanie Stewart, Kylie Westerbeck and John Clancy
Directed by: Melanie Stewart
Text by: John Clancy
Cast: Kylie Westerbeck and David Calvitto
Company: Blind Faith Theatre

Edinburgh Fringe performances

Venue: Gilded Balloon Patter House (Doonstairs) at 20:30
Dates: 30 July – 24 August (not 11, 19)
Content Warnings: Scenes of a sexual nature, Strong language/swearing
Running Time: 60 Min