NoFit State: ImMortal

Getting out of the tube station, I realized that I was in a part of London that deserved respect. Minutes past the Chalk Farm station is an original Banksy graffiti piece. Banksy is a street artist and his work in the London area is very well known. This particular work of his caught my eye when I was looking at images from his website. I had wanted to go out and find it, knowing only that it was somewhere in Camden. Luckily, the "Maid in London" was directly outside the very theatre that NoFit State: ImMortal production was in. Over the years, others have placed their own graffiti over the original artwork—not as a sign of disrespect, but to symbolize the community aspect of graffiti.

I read that NoFit State was “re-worked and re-developed” through the years. Looking back, that reminds me of the graffiti art I saw. NoFit and the Banksy piece have retained their respective original themes, despite the outward changes. Graffiti itself is very accessible, though rarely considered art, and seldom admired by passersby. In many ways, I could see how someone might say similar things about NoFit’s production. People may argue that the sequences in ImMortal are not theatre, or that the lack of dialogue classifies this production solely as a circus. I think though, that the lack of dialogue was a strength—it put value behind the actions of the performers. The disjointed sequences offered a break from linearity and made me think more about the meaning behind what was going on. We were not at a recital of any sorts. The performers were not there to merely showcase their talents; they were there to transport the audience into a hypnotic, stimulating, sensory world.

What better way to involve the audience than to include them in the heat of the action? One of the most effective decisions NoFit made was to make this a promenade performance. I loved how interactive the show was. I moved multiple times as the ushers made room for the performers and their props. Some of the performers talked to us during the show, some fell in front of our feet, and some bumped into us from behind. Mix this interactive element with the eye-popping arm balancing, hula-hooping, trapeze acts, fire, and water and you have the makings for a wonderful circus experience. Not only that, but being able to walk around the theatre beforehand and experience the lives of the characters was something very unique. In normal theatre, you may have background information included in the plot to reveal more about the story and characters. Here, each individual had the opportunity to observe the characters, walk around with them, and/or have a conversation with them. Because of this, no two people will have had the same experience; every person who walked out of the theatre that night had a unique experience.

I was excited about the show when we talked a little bit about it in class. I became more excited when I saw the Banksy. My excitement peaked when I saw the final sequences of the show. Now, I can hardly think of what was ineffective about it. I wish the voice in the beginning had been clearer, but there was not much I could do about that. If it is not obvious yet, this was probably my favorite thing we have seen.