7 Stages brings back the magic with No(se)onenowhere
Theatre, like all art forms, has survived and evolved throughout the ages. It began as an event of segregated classes with their own separate salutes to what occurred on stage. We now all sit respectfully in our seats, sometimes assigned and designated, sometimes not. We applaud when necessary, at the end. We know our limitations and our guidelines in this world. We are watchers, witnesses, not participators. We are peeking in a window, trying to stay as quiet as possible to not blow our cover.
The unexpected happens though. There are worlds that haven’t been seen before, emotions still untouched. People who we may have never encountered, and experiences that we can not imagine. Over the weekend 7 Stages brought Israel to Atlanta with Ofir Nahari’s (writer, director, performer) No(se)onenowhere. And they brought a bit of magic back onto the stage and into the theatre with this production and the reaction that it produced.
Opening night was about the momentous accomplishment that was unfolding in front of the audience. The fact that we were watching a production with no words, just noises. It was about action, spirit, movement and sound. It was playful and silly yet dark and sad. No(se)onenowhere was beautiful. Loneliness was prominent. It caused a battle between being on the inside or being on the out, and what that meant for the mind. No(se)onenowhere goes beyond the expectation of what a show about a clown means. It is a champion of the power of expression.
This one-weekend-only production roused something in the audience that was palpable. It spread instantly from the front rows back and continued as a wave reaction throughout the show. But what added to the magic was the fact that 7 Stages believes in the power of theatre, not just the bottom line or the narcism and greed that creation, especially successful creation, can produce. They gave a free ticket to a homeless war vet, a frequent practice of theirs, for the purpose of promoting community and theatre as therapy. Art holds more power than just beauty. And an abstract show like No(se)onenowhere, a production heavily focused on the art form and the emotions that it renders, caused an overwhelmingly positive reaction from this vet. He cheered, supported, and even shook the hand of the performer mid show. After all of the bravery that I’m sure he has seen, he felt a comrade in this noble actor onstage. It was magical. It was theatre. It was proof that connection happens in the most unexpected ways and can have more of an impact than we could ever imagine.
After witnessing this (and having the initial reaction of is that a audience plant? What the fuck was that?) and finding out what 7 Stages does, I wanted to believe in everything just a bit more. Maybe experience things more thoroughly. The audience of No(se)onenowhere was privy to new worlds that night. Israel came and conquered with its magnificent tale. And this stranger showed us just how to engage in this land of broken down fourth walls – taking part, and not just admiring from afar.
