(Image taken from Skidmore Theater’s website)
Dictated by sensory experience, “The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other” is a production that uses the equally powerful elements of sound and silence to create a satisfying, rhythmic viewing experience. The play was originally written by Peter Handke, and has been adapted by Director, Phil Soltanoff, to Skidmore’s Mainstage.
This is arguably Skidmore’s most abstract production yet, consisting of 450 characters and no dialogue from any of them. Because of this, the production is predominantly driven by sound and aural experience. Amplifying each shoe squeak and stomp, the play sets up an auditory and visual rhythm that demands attention to each detail.
The play depicts a busy town square with the typical sounds and sights of people rushing and birds chirping, but quickly evolves these realistic experiences into a more abstract and artful interaction of the senses. It also mimics the experience of people watching in the town square setting, as every character is essentially a stranger to the audience.
In execution, the production moves so smoothly and on beat that it appears effortless, but this could not be farther from the reality on set. Sitting in on a rehearsal, it’s hard not to witness the incredible amount of backstage work that goes into creating such an impactful piece of art. As an onlooker, you can only nod your theoretical hat to the director, stage manager, and backstage crew — as well as the actors.
Since sound also plays a huge role in this production, each voice over and sound effect had to be staged at exactly the right moment to maintain the rhythm of the piece, which requires an admirable amount of focus and skill from the backstage crew.
While there are technically over 400 characters in this production, there are only twenty one cast members, which means the costume crew had to conduct the actor’s costume changes in under a minute before they reappeared onstage each time. The constant changes keep the characters at an emotional distance from the audience, as we are never able to get to know them through dialogue or recognizable clothing. This aspect of the production truly brings the intricate experience of observing strangers to the stage in the most abstract and engaging way.
Ultimately, this mesmerizing production is extremely elusive and doesn’t explicitly give any particular “meaning,” just as the strangers we often observe don’t just offer up their life stories to us. The challenge of the observer is to derive and interpret meaning out of the smallest detail of a stranger's actions, which is exactly what “The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other” asks of it’s viewers.