In their review of Those Women Productions’ latest co-production, Hindsight 2020, The Daily Californian writes that this virtual piece “encapsulates the universal experiences of longing, disconnection and endurance that 2020 produced in us all, from baking bread to working at home to illness — the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Taking place entirely over Zoom, Hindsight 2020 ran from April 9th-17th and provided viewers with a unique multimedia experience that encapsulated many different sides of the past year: “much like 2020, the storyline has no singular beginning, end or objective. Rather, each scene speaks to a different aspect of the universal 2020 experience.”
“A significant theme of “HINDSIGHT 2020” is the artists’ own frustrations with isolation, both from loved ones and from an audience,” writes Nathalie Grogan. “They ask, ‘What are these boxes staring back at me, is this theater?’ and protest, ‘I want back on the stage right now!’ With no stage to return to, however, the play instead toys with the imagination of the stage, the screen and the audience. Cardboard cutouts dance across a miniature, cardboard theater while actors dance over projected scenes.'” Other scenes take place during recorded Zoom meetings, capturing the awkwardness and humor of adapting to a pandemic, while the ending section acknowledges the widespread loss that has defined this time: “Actors reach for each other across screens, retell the death of family members and long for a love that could have been. These scenes are summarized in the line: ‘It’s hard to say goodbye when you can’t give someone a hug.'”
“HINDSIGHT 2020” is a testament to the incredible strength and endurance of people, to hold out hope, to adapt, to find new communities and to find new mediums of creative expression. A true and honest ode to 2020, “HINDSIGHT 2020” looks back upon a year of struggle and encapsulates it with undeniable skill and refreshing creativity. “
-Nathalie Grogan, The Daily Californian
