the time out

“All I want is for you to go out and believe in yourselves, believe that you will do the best you can possibly do, and believe in the others in your team – because right now that’s all we can do”

12 participants enter what appears to be a swimming pool changing room and take their seats, tightly packed on the benches. A coach talks to them as if they all know each other – as if they are a water polo team nine minutes and 39 seconds away from the biggest match of their life.

They are not alone with the coach, however, as a hidden voice speaks up and echoes what we’re all thinking – “water polo? is he serious? You only got here a few moments ago. These things take months of training, an understanding of the sport, and a team.”

Through intimate and playful interaction, games and even a bit of physical exertion, the 12 teammates find themselves edging closer and closer to the big match. The coach and the voice are there on the journey to encourage everyone to get a little closer, to share with and support each other, and to ask what it means to be in a team.

the time out premiered at Latitude Festival in 2011, and has had sell-out runs at Forest Fringe, Cambridge Junction, Tate Britain and the Barbican Centre.

Photos
For this work

“I rarely get so excited about a performance that I buzz all the way home but non zero one’s brilliant execution of the time out and the way actors listen and respond to their participants has left me hanging, wanting more… I found myself desperate to bond with another stranger – and that’s something I […]

“A fun study of the art of forming connections”

“A must for die-hard fans of interactive theatre, and for those seeking a truly novel experience”

“An entertaining and off-beat hour of alternative theatre, and the clever integration of technology is certainly novel. An indication of the exciting future to come for this fledgling company.”

“An intimate, ingenious show in which we get to examine our own defensive experiences”

The Times

“Not just an hour of tremendous fun, but also a piece that makes you reassess what can be achieved with very little” ★★★★★

“New Edinburgh act of the day: non zero one…it’s very good fun”

“The endorphin rush…is almost unequalled by anything else on the Fringe” ★★★★

For similar work