For those of you out there who have travelled, – and I mean properly travelled, living far away in foreign lands for a long period of time – No Matter Where You Go, There You Are will probably strike a particular chord with you. This experimental, ambitious, honest, and above all long-distance project follows the lives of two young women, each of whom is coming to terms with their new and foreign home, and shows their struggles and memories as they embrace the big wide world. Portraying largely themselves, Cathie Clinton and Jennifer Williams both undertake honest and candid roles as storytellers of their own journey. The line between theatre and truth is almost always hazy, as is the premise and introduction to this project (a word I’m using to more accurately describe this piece of theatre… it is far from polished but instead seems to be progressing along the lines of a long-term, evolving work in progress). Clinton’s use of such a large performance space, and her ability to engage the audience through her identifiable and clearly presented emotion was very commendable. This was especially impressive considering her co-star, Williams, was present only in pre-recorded ‘video-journal’ type snippets projected on the wall of the performance space. Despite this, Clinton held the interest of the –albeit small – audience with powerful monologues, the best of which included a hauntingly well spaced airport farewell and a heart-warming reminiscence of the Dublin sense of humour. Williams also displayed some very fine performances, mostly made up of her regular diary entries, which gave a vivid insight into her fears and insecurities regarding such a big move. Although her story felt much more scripted and sculpted compared to Clinton’s, whose delivery was possibly bordering on the overly natural, it was a fresh contrast to the repetitive nature of the action in front of the audience.
This project is hugely ambitious, and although at this point it comes across as disjointed and at times rough and under-developed, it has an inner-direction that shines through in the lingering stories and emotions of it’s cast. It’s not short by any means, and at times quite repetitive, but the developing nature of this project I feel will iron out and improve these obstacles. The personal, almost biographical, nature of these women’s stories is both engaging and at times a little tiring. Perhaps the balance between truth and theatrical liberty in this story is a little bit skewed? Or perhaps that’s just me. Either way, a very commendable and candid undertaking to which I wish the best of luck.
