non zero one (formed 2009) are an

artist collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the need ...

formed of Sarah Butcher, Iván González, Cat Harrison, John Hunter, Fran Miller and Alex Turner. They also work with other artists in association. The collective formed in early 2009, after meeting one another via their undergraduate studies at

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

. The collective make

interactive theatre Interactive theatre is a presentational or theatrical form or work that breaks the "fourth wall" that traditionally separates the performer from the audience both physically and verbally. In traditional theatre, performance is limited to a design ...

that sometimes uses

game mechanics In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...

and digital technology (such as headphones) in order to put the audience at the centre of the work. They often explore the connections between people - whether it be what it is that makes people a 'team', in ''The Time Out'', to the instructions over headphones in ''Would like to meet'', which attempts to ask 'Can you miss someone you've never met?'" or the "Ghosts" of actors past and present in ''this Is where we got to when you came in''.

Shows

''Would Like to Meet'' - 2009–2010. Debuted as part of the company's undergraduate degree programme at

in 2009. The show was then supported by a

Farnham Maltings Farnham Maltings is a creative arts centre in the heart of the market town of Farnham in Surrey, England History Farnham Maltings was bought by the community, currently led by its town council A town council, city council or municipal coun ...

br>'No Strings Attached'
grant, before being fully commissioned by the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

where it ran in Spring of 2010 as part of their Bite10 festival. The piece is an intricately timed interactive headphone work designed for 6 people, each of whom are guided by a different recorded voice. Alex Turner is quoted as saying that the piece aims to pose "the question: 'Can you miss someone you've never met?'" ''They Vote with Their Feet'' - 2009. A 'scratch' (early stages performance test) performance at

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a Grade ...

in September 2009. ''Hold Hands/Lock Horns'' - 2010. Developed after the company won a

br>'No Strings Attached'
grant, following ''they vote with their feet'' at

. Described as an 'interactive game', or 'interactive theatre performance', this piece is 15 minutes long, and is a one-on-one performance, made for one member of the company, and one audience member, and explores "how people can be held accountable for the choices they make". ''This is Where We Got to When You Came In'' - 2011. Devised for the pub theatre venue that

The Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...

moved out of in 2011. A show that traces a tour of the backstage areas of The Bush's pub venue of 40 years. ''The Time Out'' - 2011. Developed at the

National Theatre Studio The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. In ...

, and performed at

Latitude Festival The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006 and has been held every year since, apart from 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 ...

2011, Forest Fringe 2011, before touring to

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

in October 2011
The Junction
in November 2011. In an interview wit
The Junction Theatre
the collective are quoted as saying that "''the time out'' is about teamwork. When we first started work on the piece about a year ago, we were enthralled by questions like: what is it that makes a team? How long do you have to be with a group of people to feel they are your team? What is it you have to experience? How does a team survive?" The show is 1 hour long and is an interactive experience for up to 12 audience members.

Awards and accolades

* Best Entertainment Award at th
Off West End Awards
2012 for ''this is where we got to when you came in'' (at

) * Voted 'coolest company' by

Elle Magazine ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the wo ...

(Sept 2011) The show is 1 hour long and is an interactive experience for up to 12 audience members
Lyn Gardner
of

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

's New Edinburgh Act of the Day on 17 August 2011

References

{{Reflist

External links

Non Zero One homepage

Non Zero One on facebook

Non Zero One's Vimeo profile

Twitter profile
2009 establishments in England Amateur theatre companies in England English artist groups and collectives Performing groups established in 2009