By Jason Luntz
Performance art has the power to tell stories that can be used as metaphors for important issues that humanity faces. What helps drive a great theater experience is often the venue where the production is held. On May 22, 2014 The Suit and the performance space at OZ Nashville proved to be a perfect match.
The Suit follows Philomen (Ivanno Jeremiah) a man who is proud of his profession as a secretary, his humble home, and his beautiful wife Matilda (Nonhlanhla Kheswa). What is most striking is the subtle way the story allows us to realize this is among the backdrop of 1950’s apartheid in South Africa. While violence rages around Philomen and his friends, he still feels as if in his home he is the king. Or so he thinks.
Originally a short story written by the late South African dissident Can Themba, The Suit is a well-put together adaption that takes place in Sophiatown, a thriving black township on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Initially written in French and known as Le Costume, the play is the vision of internationally acclaimed director Peter Brook, who created the story with his longtime collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne and the composer Frank Krawczyk. It’s United States tour was helmed by assistant director Rikki Henry, a London native of African descent.
Nashville was the productions last stop in America.
According to Tim Ozgener, OZ President and CEO, arranging for The Suit to be presented in Nashville is seen as an accomplishment among connoisseurs in the art world. “Our artistic director Lauren Snelling has been working with another artist director who is internationally known named Kristy Edmunds,” said Ozgener. “Kristy moved to the Center of Performing Arts at UCLA where they were one of a handful [of venues] that was bringing the suit, and she explained it that it is a terrific play and it would be prestigious to bring to Nashville.”
OZ Nashville is one of those secret hidden gems that continues to make Nashville the “It” City. A former cigar warehouse, the location is a modern space that has been created for flexible performances. The concept was inspired by the Park Avenue Armory located in New York City, a venue known for displaying multiple styles of performing and visual arts.
Ozgener explained that the design of OZ allows for A+ level contemporary arts to find a place in Nashville. “People are moving from bigger markets to Nashville where they have had access to contemporary arts of different types of styles, so I feel our timing is pretty appropriate for us to bring that over here,” he said.
The Suit proved to be the type of play that worked perfectly with the modern design of OZ. The space can be transformed into what ever an artist is looking for and Brook’s minimalistic approach to set pieces allowed for the audience to become truly engulfed in the actors performances. It was the actors and musicians who allowed the audience’s to believe that a sheet and a couple of chairs could become a bed. At one point an empty coat rack becomes a city bus.
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