Get ready, because Northwestern’s theatre community is about to be invaded by the Brits. ONEOHONE Theatre Co., founded by Oxford University students and recent graduates in 2009, will be on campus performing their hit show, 101, next week. You shouldn’t go see them just for their accents (although that’s always a plus); you should go see them because they are at the forefront of accessible, democratic theater that truly engages the audience.
The company’s MO is producing uniquely devised theater. This means that shows originate in the scene and setting of a play but are not bound by the script at all. They are created entirely by the company together with the participation of the audience. Rather than improv, ONEOHONE’s shows are more like dramatic plays that you just happen to be taking an active part in. Rooted in classic plays, they’re ways to get people to test the choices a character makes.
“It’s like living a play, not just watching it,” says Kara Weisenstein, the senior theater major who is responsible for bringing ONEOHONE to Northwestern.
Weisenstein discovered the company last August at Edinburgh’s famous Fringe Festival and immediately fell in love with their work. She had been hearing great things about the company so decided to see 101, but she didn’t quite know what to expect when she entered the venue. In that first show, she ended up as Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but as the story progressed it was shaped in a simple and easy manner by the decisions of every single person in the room.
Weisenstein likens the experience to a “choose your own adventure” novel. At the center of everything is the power of choice and “how much you affect something by making strong choices in life and in art.”
While in Edinburgh, Weisenstein developed a friendship with ONEOHONE’s UK producer Christopher Thursten. She wanted as many people as possible to experience this amazing work — especially her theater community back home — so she suggested a residency at Northwestern.
Thursten was a little skeptical at the time but nine months of doggedly pursuing this project has brought the idea to fruition. Weisenstein has taken on all the fundraising, marketing and publicity of the show. Arts Alliance has been collaborating with her to help host the company and she won the Dorothy Morgan Performing Arts grant last week to help fund production costs. She says she loves finding unknown groups like this one and being able to bring them to a wider audience.
The show is extremely accessible for all types of people. For the theater majors, 101 is rooted in strong theatrical traditions but it’s also got an edgy feel to it because it’s so out of the norm. People outside of the theater community will love it because it’s not like a normal play. It’s an experience or an event and you are part of it from the very beginning. And – the good news for someone shy like me – you can be as involved and not as you want to be. The point is that it’s an especially personal experience with the power to make you as an audience member feel very special.
“People should see this because it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen on any continent,” Weisenstein says.
ONEOHONE will be on campus performing four scenarios of 101, May 24 through May 27 in the Krause Studio of Annie May Swift Hall. Each scenario — ranging from Shakespeare classics to Grimm’s fairy tales — will be presented once each night. In order to create the best experience for audience members, tickets are limited to 15 per show so reserve your tickets in advance at ONEOHONE.org.