A play based on a book once censored for its controversial themes, the Sydney premiere of ‘Nothing’ from Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta is no doubt going to turn heads.
When Joseph Raboy first read the audition brief for ‘Nothing’ he was ecstatic at the premise of stepping out of realism, and portraying not just one character, but sharing 20 with his co-star, Alyona Popov .
“All of the stuff I’ve done this year has been realism, whether it’s been theatre or screen,” he said.
“I read it and was like, oh, there’s only two actors, but there’s over 20 different characters. There’s a lot in it that’s interesting.
“And, on top of that, to get to work with Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta is such a huge honour. I know that they care a lot about the stories that they put on.”
The storyline of the play is based on a book by the same name, penned by Janne Teller, recounting the events in a year seven classroom. The book was awarded the Best Book Prize by the Danish Ministry for Culture, the prestigious Le Prix Libbylit and the American Michael L. Printz Honor Award.
“There is a young boy named Pierre-Anthon. One day, he gets up, and decides that there’s no meaning to life. Nothing. And he shares that point with his classmates and his teacher – he just gets up and walks out,” Joseph said.
“That doesn’t sit well with his classmates in terms of his world view, how much conviction and confidence he had to share that. The actions that his classmates take to deal with how they feel about him believing that there is no meaning to life is what sets forth the actions of the rest of the story.”
Though Joseph acknowledges the sensitive subject matters in the play, which limit it to an audience aged 15 and over, he said that this doesn’t limit the mastery of the play’s writing and direction.
“While ‘Nothing’ is like ‘The Hunger Games’ mixed with ‘Lord of the Flies’, and anyone that knows about those knows that it can get quite violent, in terms of the form of the play and the way it’s told, I think people might be pleasantly surprised with how we tell the story, and everything that we touch on,” he said.
As for who would enjoy the production, Joseph would recommend it to anyone who can relate to the feeling of needing your voice to be heard – regardless of age.
“The more characters there are in this, the more likely you are to be able to relate,” he said.
“And, if you see people that differ from you, the nature of the play is to challenge and understand other people’s perspectives. So ‘Nothing’ is for everyone.”
‘Nothing’ will be on at Riverside Theatre from Thursday, September 1 to Saturday, September 10. Tickets are $49. For more information, visit riversideparramatta.com.au. Limited tickets may also be available at the box office.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.