Reviewed by Paula Citron
Nohayquiensepa (No one knows)
Aluna Theatre
Direction, scenography and dramaturgy by Trevor Schwellnus
Choreography by Olga Barrios
Performed by Carlos González-Vio, Lilia Leon, Victoria Mata, Beatriz Pizano, Christopher Stanton and Mayahuel Tecozautia
Theatre Centre
Mar. 13 to 27, 2011
Aluna Theatre is a top drawer Latino company. I managed to catch a performance of the new show Nohayquiensepa (No one knows) before it closed, and it was worth the trip. The production was gorgeous, but flawed.
The play deals with a very troubling subject – namely, third world countries that are sacrificing their citizens for the sake of industry. People are disappearing, both the ecology protesters, and the luckless farmers whose land is needed for mining and the like. Militias are actually formed to get rid of these people.
Rather than a direct story, Trevor Schwellnus developed an impressionistic treatment that used dance, music and video projections. The problem is, you had to work hard to gather what the play was about – those few words that give you a clue.
The movement, sound and visuals, however, were stunning, but I needed a bit more in English to give me more background. Spanish speakers got a lot more out of the text than I did.