Critically-acclaimed production comes to Lichfield
Motionhouse is to perform its critically acclaimed production of Nobody for two shows only at Lichfield Garrick Theatre from Tuesday 2 to Wednesday 3 May.
The visit marks the company 's second main stage performance in Lichfield.
Since its world premiere performances in London in September 2021 which saw packed houses, Nobody has been garnering critical acclaim throughout the UK and overseas.
Louise Richards, Motionhouse 's executive director, said: “We are really looking forward to bringing Nobody to Lichfield. Our work is in extremely high demand from audiences, with several venues selling out so far on the tour, and standing ovations at every performance.
“It was fantastic to get such amazing reviews for Nobody too from the critics both in the UK and overseas. ”
With its raw physical strength, gravity-defying choreography and daring action, Nobody follows seven characters on their journey to discover who they are.
Kevin Finnan, artistic d
irector of Motionhouse, started exploratory work with the dancers for Nobody in late 2019 and was just about to start creating when the pandemic struck. Abruptly halted, creation resumed in January 2021 when the company returned to the studio, operating within strict Covid guidelines.
Finnan said: “It was a challenge to make Nobody during the pandemic, but the process was interesting because the pandemic entirely reshaped my original vision for the production. When the dancers and I came back in early 2021 after a long period of lockdowns and furlough, we had an incredible urge to be creative and to explore new ways of moving.
“I think the energy and emotions of the extraordinary collective experience of dealing with the pandemic shaped the content and the movement we were coming up with as a group. The narrative arc of the production reflects this: the first act of Nobody is driven by the raw emotion of our experiences during lockdown.
“There is a sense of isolation and being alone and the effects this has had on us all during the pandemic. In the second act there is a sense of coming together and the strength we all get from that. ”
Nobody is a continuation of Finnan 's examination of the human condition and our place in the world, with the lens of Covid added into the creative process.
Nobody is commissioned by and created in partnership with University of Kent, ART31 and Midlands Arts Centre. Supported by Dance Hub Birmingham, Arts Connect and The Leche Trust.