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It doesn’t mention him by name, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who the lead character in new play Wild is based on. The protagonist is on the run, hiding out in a Hong Kong airport and then fleeing to Moscow, where he struggles to survive the night following his reveal of a government privacy infringement on a mass scale. His narrative bears more than a passing resemblance to that of Edward Snowden, the real-life US National Security Agency employee who showed the world that the government really was listening in on us. The play uses the narrative to explore issues around privacy and consent versus security and comfort, but actor-director Cheyne Mitchell said it doesn’t tell the audience what to think. “It asks probably more questions than it answers,” he said. “There’s some really unique takes, and it argues the case from both sides quite well.” Mitchell has already shown the performance to some year twelve classes, who he said were unaware of some of the issues discussed. “It was eye-opening,” he said. “The actual number of them that weren’t aware that by ticking ‘yes’ on an app, that you actually give them access to your camera and microphone, which gives them information that they can then sell to third parties.” Wild is presented by the Relevant Theatre Company and IO Performance as part of Junction Arts Festival, running at the Workers Club Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.45pm, and Saturday at 2pm, $20 full, $15 concession.

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