“Our bodies may be containers, but they will carry specific histories. And those histories are still meaningful.”
- Chana Porter / The Seep
Who are we, in the awkward moments in-between? Waiting for the kettle to boil, the rain to stop, the bus to arrive; the beautiful but seemingly unremarkable moments.
In Watson’s latest surreal dance play, we are invited to observe a group of strangers inside a doctor’s waiting room; as their comfort in their anonymity is slowly upended by a person who is uncannily not like the others.
An absurdly whimsical exploration of identity, They Look Like People is co-choreographed, co-written by and made in collaboration with Sadler’s Wells Company of Elders.
Performance history:
Sadler’s Wells LBS (2025)
Writer, Director, Choreographer: John-William Watson
Set and Costume Designer: Joshua Cartmell - MELSHstudio
Composer and Sound Artist: Adam Vincent Clarke
Lighting Designer: Amelia Hawkes
Voice Actor: Beth Emmerson
Violin: Edgar Gomes
Vocalists: Barbershop John and Valentina Jazz
Performers and Co-Creators:
Almeric Johnson, Amina Patel, Bernadette Durso, Catriona Maccoll, Dahlia Douglas, Fred Manson, Hisami Okamoto, Isidora Joseph, Jennifer James, Judy Lipsey, Kate Marshall, Keiko Onishi, Margaret Gaskin, Monica Duck, Rachel Thompson, Roberto Ishii, Sara Harris
& Stephen Rowe
Graphic Design: Joshua Cartmell - MELSHstudio
Projects Producer: Katie Vernon-Smith
Senior Projects Officer L&E: Brittany Roberts
Producer L&E: Christopher Haddow
Commissioned by Sadler’s Wells
