Running in Place
Et Alia Theater Company
Reviwed by Chiara Cimmino
New York, November 2019
PLAYWRIGHT Hasnain Shaikh FOUNDER/REBECCA Giorgia Valenti FOUNDER/PENELOPE/BREA/MOTHER Maria-Luiza Muller FOUNDER/ZOE Ana Moioli FOUNDER/DIRECTOR Isabella Uzcátegui MEMBER/STAGE MANAGER Gemma Judith Allan
Running in Place is a story about memories, mourning and guilt. The two protagonists could be partners or friends, any gender. It doesn't matter, because most importantly, the story is about love: how three people experience it and the pleasures and hard times that come with it.
Hasnain Shaikh gives birth to three delicate characters, stuck in a labyrinth of memories; young director Isabella Uzcátegui designs his play through a suspended and almost surreal atmosphere. The set design is halfway between being minimal and baroque, built by all the symbols of the protagonists' lives. Giorgia Valenti, Maria-Luiza Müller and Ana Moioli pull off amazing performances. Their strength on stage is their internationality: their backgrounds are different from each other, they act in a language that is not theirs. This helps them communicate in an authentic way and stay out of the usual cliches. The play is simple and, at the same time, powerful. The three actors are capable of portraying pain and loss with delicacy and lightness. Their shared energy on stage grew throughout the performance in an emotional and narrative climax. Et Alia have found their voice in the New York theatre scene with Running in Place. We, the audience, are looking forward to discovering their next steps!
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Maria-Luiza Muller is a Romanian artist in New York. She graduated from NYU Tisch with a major in Drama and minor in Dance. Her most recent projects include the feature film ‘Queen Marie of Romania’ directed by Alexis Cahill Sweet, the short film ‘Skip Tantrum’ directed by Daniel Nemroff and the TV series ‘Love in NY’ directed by Matthew Russell. She also wrote an autobiographical film called ‘Where Are You From Again’ www.marialuizamuller.com
Ana Moioli is a Brazilian artist in New York. Ana started acting in Brazil, and later went to the Moscow Art Theatre School and then NYU Drama, where she is currently a senior. She’s been awarded for her performances in short films and has performed in Off-Off-Broadway. She is excited for her upcoming debut as a playwright in ‘For The Time Being’ at the NYWinterfest. She recently debuted as a filmmaker with the film ‘Bridge.’
Giorgia Valenti is still energized from her run of ‘Fiction’ with 600 Highwaymen as well as working on ‘HOME’ with The Open Program of the Workcenter. She is a Senior at Tisch, NYU studying Drama and Dance. Her artistic practice is inspired by free vs. choreographed movement, the complex relationship between home and identity and the use of art as a therapeutic practice. As an international woman, Giorgia has also worked and performed in India and Italy. @giorgiavalenti98www.anamoioli.com
Isabella Uzcátegui is an actor, director, filmmaker, and writer with a BFA in Drama and a BS in Psychology from NYU. Her artistic practice explores dance-theater, Grotowski-based training, and Latinx community engagement. Her recent works include her devised piece ‘Veinticino: a myth of the brain’, and a Nine Muses Entertainment short film ‘Mujer’. Isabella is a company member of Theater Mitu, with which she just toured ‘Remnant’. She has performed internationally in Panama and Costa Rica. Gemma Judith Allan is a training actress from South Africa. In 2018 she graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in Political Science and English Literature. She views the protest theatre of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg as her artistic home. She has trained in Cechetti Ballet and as a vocalist. This September Gemma moved to New York and started the Professional Conservatory Programme at Stella Adler. Hasnain Shaikh is a playwright, director, and actor from Bangalore, India. He began his career as an actor at the age of 5 and has been a part of the Bangalore theatre scene ever since. At 17, he wrote his first play ‘Perspectives’, which was well-received, and marked the beginning of his playwright journey. To date, he has written 5 plays and is an award-winning playwright pushing the boundaries of contemporary Indian theatre.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Chiara Cimmino is an international actress based in NYC. She graduated from the Milan School of Dramatic Arts “Paolo Grassi” (Italy) in 2007. She won the Award for Best Supporting Actress at the theater Palio of Chiavari (2005) and the “Plautus Theater Award” for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (2017). She performed in King Ubu, winner of the International Award F. Piccoli (2007). She starred in the female lead of the film Rimbalzello (N. Gharbi), winner of the Special Jury Prize at Maazzeni Film Festival (2014). Acting credits include: theaters (The seagull,The fan, The storm, Harlequin educated by love, The play that goes wrong), films, television, web-series, and commercials.
Together with the theatre director Valerio Garaffa, she founded the Italian theatre company TeatroDelDisìo and the International School of Acting "G. Grasso" for Opera singers in Montréal (Canada). They developed “The Relationship Acting Method,” that they now teach in NYC.
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