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ABOUT

MISSION

MISSION

NoExit is a collaborative group of artists who strive to provide provocative theatre and education experiences by utilizing found spaces and diverse texts for our global community with a vested interest in the youth of Indianapolis.

"I'm getting to know and like NoExit for its use of found stages and movement-infused performances."

-Josefa Beyer, NUVO Newsweekly

ARTISTS

NICOLE
RONALD
MICHAEL
GEORGEANNA

NICOLE

Nicole Gatzimos Founder

Nicole has lead NoExit into a prosperous experimental performance company since it's founding in 2003. She is a graduate of Butler University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre with a minor in Telecommunication Arts in 2002. While at Butler, she studied abroad at Middlesex University in London where she focused her studies on environmental theatre, invisible theatre, and stand-up comedy. Cultural experiences, such as performing the site-specific production of Beckettworks in Ireland and visits to theatre productions in Prague, have been profoundly influential in her career. Since graduating from Butler, Nicole has performed with various theatre companies throughout the United States such as St. Croix Festival Theatre and Papermill Children?s Theatre. On returning to Indiana, she has continued her education from Firenza Guidi and Preeti Vasudevan through Butler Theatre's Summer International Projects. In addition, she has participated in an intensive workshop with New York based Mabou Mines with Sharon Fogardy and Ruth Maleczech.Nicole began her career at NoExit by directing the midwest premier of David Henry Hwang's The House of Sleeping Beauties which was noted as "Brave and experimental" by the NUVO Newsweekly. In addition, she directed two scenes for the IndyFringe's Fractions of Desire fundraiser and co-wrote and performed in Borderline, an original production that focused on text and used research from FeMENism, an original production performed in the spring of 2006.

RONALD

Ronald Gilliam Founder

For the past 7 years, Ronald has been living a combined international artist and arts administrator life. He is a graduate from New York University, with a Master's degree in Performance Studies. Previously, he received a Bachelors of Arts in both Theatre Performance and Chinese Language & Culture at Butler University where, in 2002, he had the opportunity to attend the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Peking University. At HKAPA, he directed two of Samuel Beckett's plays for television, Quad and Nacht und Traume. He has also studied with Teatro Grupo Yuyachkani in Lima, Peru, further developing his movement vocabulary and gaining an insight into international political performance.In addition to co-founding NoExit, he led an extensive arts administration careeer for 7 years while working for the Broadway division of ClearChannel Entertainment, Clowes Memorial Hall, and various dance organizations in NYC. Ronald is also a recipient of a Freeman Foundation Grant for study in China and a published performance theorist. His most recent work, 'The Reverse Effect,' can be found in the first edition of e-misferica, the online peer-reviewed journal of the Hemispheric Institute.Recent NoExit productions include directing the Midwest premier of David Henry Hwang's The Sound of a Voice where he pioneered cross-distance rehearsal techniques via the Internet and A. an original (re)constructive dance theatre piece based on idea of deconstructing a classic set to movement.

MICHAEL

Michael Bachman Collaborating Artist

Michael Bachman received his B.A. in Theatre from Butler University. While attending Butler, he was the assistant director to Diane Timmerman for the world premiere of Luke’s Father and the Sled and co-directed the devised piece Memory House with Melli Hoppe. He also directed Sarah Kane’s Blasted as his senior directing project. After completing his education at Butler, Michael continued at the University College Cork in Cork, Ireland where he received his M.A. in Drama and Theatre Studies. In Cork, he participated in a company deconstruction of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that premiered at the 2006 European Capitol of Culture. Michael also directed Beckett’s What Where and conducted workshops in Brechtian Theory and Psychophysical Acting in Cork and Dublin. Since the completion of his Masters, Michael devised Mere Eye for Butler University’s 150th Welcome Week Celebration, collaborated with Orkestra Project on a production of L’histoire du Soldat and devised FeMENism for Indianapolis-based theatre company, NoExit. Michael is proud to have devised and directed Borderline for the Indianapolis Fringe Festival 2006 and Breathe in 2007. He currently serves as the Executive Director of NoExit Performance, Inc., to which he most recently brought an election year deconstruction of Julius Caesar, to the grounds of the Crown Hill Cemetery. Michael joined NoExit in 2006 as a guest director and continued with the company. In 2008, Michael became the Executive Director as Co-Founder Nicole Gatzimos began to transition out of the company. Michael began restructuring the company shortly after bringing Georgeanna Smith on board. The company now functions as a group of artists collaborating, working together to continue the precedence set by NoExit's co-founders.

GEORGEANNA

Georgeanna Smith Collaborating Artist

Georgeanna Smith graduated Cum Laude from Butler University with a B.A. in Theatre. She also attended Cedarville University, studying the theories of Jerzy Grotowski, Augusto Boal, as well as Commedia dell'arte, and Laban technique. Smith has participated in master classes with Brian Bedford, Anne Bogart, Kristin Linklater, and Dan Kamin. Smith is a founding member of Novox Theatre Group, for whom she directed the inaugural production the "The Nobodies," which also served as a fundraiser for Invisible Children, Inc. She has been a company member with NoExit since 2008. With NoExit, Smith has appeared in "Breathe" (Strophe), "Eleanora" (Nora), "Julius Caeser" (Calphurnia), "Brave New World," (Linda), and "The Phantom Tollbooth," (Terrible Trivium). She has directed "The Immortal" with Caroline Stine, as well as the critically acclaimed "Antigone" at the IMA. Smith has also appeared as Medea in "Medea" (PaperStrangers), Starina in "LoveStories," (Susurrus), the Spider King in "Sleeping Beauty" (Lilly Theatre), Jellia Jamb in "The Marvelous Land of Oz" (Lilly Theatre), Tap Dancing Santa in "Yuletide" (Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), and with as well as recurring performances with Susurrus for Young Audiences. Smith studied in St. Petersburg, Russia, with celebrated Russian theatre artists Alexander and Tamara Anisimov. Smith served as Assistant Director on several pieces including "...Young Lady from Rwanda" (IRT), "Dependance Day" (Christian Theological Seminary) and "The Taming of the Shrew" (Butler University). Smith is also an Actor/Interpreter for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, working under acclaimed Theatre in Museums pioneer Tessa Bridal. With TCM, Smith has appeared in numerous productions and at the American Association of Museums conference in Los Angeles, as well as the IMTAL conference in Indianapolis. As a playwright, Smith has also adapted "Antigone," and "The Nobodies", which was comprised of interviews with Northern Ugandan child soldiers. Her writing was also featured in "The Phantom Tollbooth," and "Some Kind of Revolution." Her latest work, "Waiting for Good News," will be featured at The Children's Museum, as well as the International Museum Theatre Alliance national conference in St. Louis. Smith received a BlackBox award from Butler University for Best Production Person in 2006, as well as for Best Actress in a Student Show for "Some Kind of Revolution." Smith was a recipient of a DayTony Award of Merit for her costume work on "Lettice and Lovage" at Cedarville University.

SEASON

INFO

COME...

PRODUCTIONS

ANTIGONE

NUVO
FUNCITYFINDER

NUVO September 20094 of 5 STARS"With chest-beating monologues and excessive exposition, Greek tragedy can play like ancient soap opera. Who screwed whom? Who was loyal? Who will go down in flames? By the grace of Zeus, however, brilliant Georgeanna Smith blends these elements in the ethereally beautiful IMA gardens to put mortal woes in perspective and put us into the story. Like the citizens of Thebes sniffing out gossip, audience members follow the players up and down shaded stone paths. We witness two brothers battle to the death in a fountain and then chase after their mourning, arguing sisters. Only Antigone will risk her life to bury her disgraced brother Polynieces, against the Kings commandment. Once we Thebans are settled on the lawn behind the majestic Lilly House, King Creon and the unrelenting Antigone, then Creon and his son (who loves Antigone), and finally Creon and his wife (who loves their son) can cajole, scream and wail to their hearts content. The towering trees and dusky blue skies absorb their frantic echoes, while we consider the ultimate question. Is it better to die for the dead or live alone for power? Using nature, architecture, and earnest performances (including two ghostly interlopers), Smith so masterfully frames the problem that its difficult to imagine any other option." - Josefa Beyer, NUVO Newsweekly

FUNCITYFINDER September 2009"Although you often hear William Shakespeare’s quote “all the world’s a stage,” few have taken it as literally as Georgeanna Smith, director ofNoExit Theatre Company‘s retelling of the classic Greek tragedy Antigone. (If you are not familiar with the story read Katelyn Coyne’s preview.) It is made clear from the start that this version of Antigone is unlike any other spectators have seen in the past. The crowd is lead throughout the grounds of theIndianapolis Museum of Art and theLilly House and Gardens by a one man chorus skillfully played by Michael Bachman.Smith told funcityfinder.com that her interpretation will “hopefully give the audience members a new perspective on theatre. We want to show that theatre is not just a building you go to, sit down in and watch a production from a dark room. We really want to engage our audience, and give the feeling that they are an active participant in the show.” After viewing the show it is safe to say that this production of Antigone accomplishes all of these goals and more.The brothers Eteocles and Polynieces embraced in a battle to the death.As the chorus, which now includes all spectators, makes its way over to the Lilly Gardens, they are met by the brothers Eteocles and Polynieces who are locked in a fight to the death that they both win and lose. The two brothers, slain be the other’s hand, are played by Kienan Finley and Michael Burke respectively. While these two actors have no lines, they drive home powerful performances with their actions and movement throughout the entire play.The story’s protagonist Antigone, played by Nicole Gatzimos, leads the audience’s collective feelings throughout the show as if she were a conductor standing in front of an orchestra. Mary Ferguson, who plays the second sister Ismene, adds yet another layer of raw emotion to the show each time she takes the “stage.” Demonstrating complete control of his character, Raphael Schwartzman skillfully portraits Hamon’s life-long love for Antigone. Queen Eurydice, played by funcityfinder.com’s very own Katelyn Coyne, portraits a genuine sweetness we can all recognize in a mother.King Creon and Antigone fight a war of words while the dead look on.This production’s brightest star is no doubt Michael Hosp. Both grand in stature and voice, Hosp’s portrayal of King Creon is spot on from beginning to end. Having to compete with the shear size and grandioseness of the Lilly House grounds is a challenge which Hosp gladly excepts and prevails. Where a lesser actor would have been swallowed up by the surroundings, Michael drives the story with power and poise. Hosp paints a masterful portrait of a man struggling between what he wants to do and what, bound by duty, he feels he has to do.Near the end of the show, there is an extraordinary exchange between King Creon and Antigone where their emotions and words are their own but their movements are driven by the spirits of the two dead brothers. The exchange plays out like a real-life marionette show and is quite creative. Even though the ending is doomed to be tragic from the start, how the actors bring the audience to that point is both imaginative and engaging.No matter if you are a lover of theatre, or nature or just something unique, NoExit’s production is without question a must see. Take this opportunity to spend one more night outdoors before the weather forces you inside all winter. It is always a challenge to retell a classic story in a new way. That being said, Georgeanna Smith and her cast giveIndianapolis one of the most unique theatre experiences the Circle City has seen in years.." - Katelyn Coyne, Indianapolis Funcityfinder.com

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ANTIGONE

"(NoExit's) site-specific production of Antigone on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art last fall was one of the most assured and adventurous performance pieces this city has seen." -David Hoppe, NUVO

BRAVE NEW WORLD January 20093 of 5 STARSNo Exit reconstructs another classic (Julius Caesar, A Doll's House) through a movement-infused performance that turns out something like Brave New World: The Musical. No one sings, but various pop recordings accompany group dance numbers. No Exit is at their best portraying the pounding energy of a society devoted to "youthful indulgences." Less effective are maudlin tunes and dances that represent the unhappy few, in Aldous Huxley's sterile future world, who long for truth, beauty and intimacy. As writer, director and choreographer, Alyson Mull proves herself a master of lively exposition in the play's opening. An "ovarium" supervisor explains how mothering has been replaced by factory breeding, as the cast performs mild acrobatics to show how some fetuses are robbed of oxygen to make them happily dumb menial workers, and others are turned about "in utero" to accustom them to working upside down as adults. By the end of the play, however, Brave New World meanders into dull lecture as the chief Controller defends the merits of stability and happiness to a woebegone "savage," who was raised outside this order-driven society. The savage and most of the story's other misfits make flat and plodding heroes. This adaptation might work better without them, inviting us to see how much more we are like Huxley's worker bees than his thinkers. - Josefa Beyer, NUVO Newsweekly

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BRAVE NEW WORLD

JULIUS CAESAR September 20083 of 5 STARSIn this one-hour deconstruction of Shakespearean tragedy, directors Alyson Mull and Michael Bachman focus on the words leaders use to sway the masses. Wordsmith Cassius would fit right in on a modern American election campaign, because he knows how to get people moving: Shame them, praise them, scare them or cry, simply, “For country!” Words will get people to the voting booth or, in Brutus’ case, to pick up a dagger. I’m getting to know and like NoExit for its use of found stages and movement-infused performances. The historic Morris-Butler House was perfect for their take on A Doll’s House last spring. Here, Crown Hill Cemetery is sadly appropriate for the Roman blood bath — as well as an exquisite place to end a September Sunday. A retaining wall memorial makes a fine coliseum in miniature. In Caesar, most of the cast are still developing technique, but they succeed, in part, because their bodies are so engagingly framed by the architecture of the trees. Along with rural beauty, Marc Szewczyk’s fine oratory as Cassius is reason enough to see this short Caesar. - Josefa Beyer, NUVO Newsweekly

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JULIUS CAESAR

DIASPORA September 2009"The first collaboration between NoExit Performance, Inc. and Indianapolis-based Novox Theater Group, diaspora was adapted by Director Michael Hosp from the beat poetry of Saul Williams. In this amazingly rhythmic piece, Michael Hosp and solo actor Jonah Winston, paint the picture of a homeless man who may know more than his clothes and surroundings lead on. In the beginning, star Jonah Winston, may seem to be no more than crazy panhandler, but as the piece progresses, we begin to understand the great wisdom than is buried beneath the layers of dirty clothes that sit upon this unnamed man's shoulders. I never understood the gravity and greatness of this piece until I approached by another guy asking for money, and found myself truly questioning, "What brought him here and who am I?" Truly a remarkable piece by such young and innovative artists."-Mary Jacobson
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DIASPORA

THE IMMORTAL July 2009"The Immortal was is truly a match made in heaven between two organizations of David and Goliath standards. The Goliath being Indianapolis Museum of Art which has recently reached out to many Daivd-like organizations in an effort to bring performance art into their arena, and never have they found an organization like NoExit. The piece, directed by Georgeanna Smith and Caroline Stine, references the traveling Egypt exhibit now open at the IMA. Smith and Stine bring Egypt and its rich heritage to the IMA public before a showing of The Mummy which only complemented the night. Tonight, I truly experienced the festival, the life, the death, and indeed the immortality of a nation and its people."-Joan Evans
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THE IMMORTAL

ELEANORA April 20093 of 5 STARSNoExit found the perfect venue for their stylized adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. In the small parlor of the Morris-Butler House, the audience gets intimate with a couple that knows no real intimacy. We have wonderful close-ups of Roger Ortman as Torvald, so expressive in his dotage and severe in his disgust, and Georgeanna Smith as Nora, whose face is china doll perfection as she feeds her husband adulation. With the on/off of a spotlight, directors Nicole Gatzimos (who also adapted the play) and Nina Ryan interrupt the dialogue with dance poses and repeated phrases to emphasize how much of this relationship is mere ritual. Although there were moments when I longed for Ibsen’s excised dialogue, Eleanora succeeds in heightening our sense of the relationship, especially as there are no other major characters. Three servants act as chorus, echoing the couple’s words and quite literally supporting them. The presence of others in their lives is hinted at with the buzzing of the doorbell and offstage slamming of doors. Eleanora is a small package with surprisingly memorable contents. - Josefa Beyer
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ELEANORA

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DIASPORA
THE IMMORTAL
ELEANORA

AUDITIONS

GENERAL AUDITIONS FOR 2011-2012

NoExit will be hosting general auditions June 28 and 29, 2011, at 7 pm. Location TBA. We are seeking actors and dancers over age 18. Please prepare two contrasting monologues and come dressed to move. Please provide a headshot and resume. Click Contact to reserve an appointment today.

CONTACT

To contact us, please filll out the email form below, or email us directly at noexitperformance_gmail.com.

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