Enter the murky world of undercover surveillance with theatre project Operation Black Antler this week.

The show places its audience in the role of an undercover police officer in order to question the morality and ethics of spying.

In Operation Black Antler you are given power and control and you have to choose how to exercise it.

Fresh from its world premiere at the 2016 Brighton Festival, the show, which explores the ethics of undercover police surveillance, opens at a secret location in Chatham on Thursday.

During the show you assume the role of an undercover cop as part of a small team; you are briefed and then sent into an undercover operation.

From a first-hand perspective, you must make decisions and then reflect on the consequences of your decisions. How far will your new identity take you?

Co-commissioned by Ideas Test, the project is led by Bafta-nominated performance group Blast Theory and theatre company Hydrocracker.

Matt Adams, co-founder of Blast Theory, said: “Both companies have a long history of making politically-charged work and Operation Black Antler continues that tradition.

“We wanted to create a piece that challenges people to experience theatre in a different way but also to consider how far is it morally just for the government to spy in the name of security.

“Wikileaks, the Snowden affair and the revelations about the Special Demonstration Squad show that secret forces within the state have little respect for the law. In Operation Black Antler you are given power and control and you have to choose how to exercise it.”

The cast is made up of local actors from North Kent working alongside professional actors.

Steph Fuller, director of Ideas Test, said: “Ideas Test is about empowering people to live more creative lives and Operation Black Antler offers communities the chance not only to experience a world-class immersive theatre piece but also to play an active role in creating it.”

Operation Black Antler takes place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with start times every 15 minutes from 7pm. Each performance lasts approximately two hours.

The starting location will be revealed via a series of text messages after people have purchased their tickets.

Tickets start at £10. Visit www.ideastest.co.uk/operation-black-antler