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“An extraordinary performance written and directed by Anthony Nikolchev.
This precisely choreographed, sonically impeccable, and intellectually sharp performance includes Dostoevsky's novella The Double, but goes far beyond it. The performance interrogates "acting" in theatre/film and in life; identity or, rather, the "double" (at least) identities inhabiting each of us... I first saw this performance at the Venice Biennale in June. It has ripened since then. Experiencing it in La MaMa's small theatre brings it hotly close. All in all, an artistic, conceptual, (un)narrational work of rare competence.”
Richard Schechner (Editor, The Drama Review; founder of Performance Studies)
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"Nikolchev’s enthralling concept for what is ultimately a disturbing yet captivating tale... If The Useless Room’s The (Un)Double is representative of the work on display in La Biennale di Venezia, please may we have some more?"
Tony Marinelli (Theatre Beyond Broadway)
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"In “The (Un)Double”, we see instead a single being composed of two bodies: two excellent actor-dancers, who are each other's ghost; they follow each other, overlap, exchange, fit together, intertwine, repel each other. As we do every day with the many selves that surround us."
Elena Scolari, PAC PanAcquaCulture - Venice Biennale 2025
"“The (Un)Double” is a dark mirror. It reflects our fears, our conflicts. It is theatre that does not tell, but shows. It does not explain, but makes you feel. And it forces us to look inside. Even when we don’t want to."
Andrea DiMaso, Notizie Teatrali - Venice Biennale 2025
"The [2025 Biennale] edition directed by Willem Dafoe brought attention back to the centrality of the actor's work. From the masters Schechner, Barba and LaCompte to the new protagonists: from Nikolchev, Castellucci, Milo Rau...A powerful demonstration on the themes of the actor's body comes with the world premiere of "The (Un)Double."
Walter Porcedda, gli Stati Generali - Venice Biennale 2025
PRESS SELECTION
"Today’s electrifying performance by Gema Galiana and two other actors will surely remain etched in the memory of spectators for long, for the manner it showcased the unique, universal, and timeless potential of the human body as a powerful tool of expression, stirring emotions and responses in an audience."
— Daily Excelsior
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"We are reminded of the fragility of existence and the power of loneliness in a formidable hour of theatre...
The Last One takes on a multitude of complex themes and studies them with an intensely tender scrutiny. In an hour, we are taken on a journey through an existential crisis and which feels completed though not resolved. It is a show that truly packs a punch and one that is not to be missed."
Musings on theatre, film and beyond. Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018
"…AN INCREDIBLE TECHNICAL FEAT...
SPANISH GEMA GALIANA MASTERFULLY PERFORMS..." DZIENNIK TEATRALNY MAGAZINE - Wroclaw Poland
“The honor of being truly exceptional offerings of the festival in terms of innovative treatment of form, technique and universal relevance of the content, could easily go to American play ‘The Last One’ by Gema Galiana...”
"Past Hope Now is timeless in that it can’t be pinned down to any era, it is evocative and nostalgic without tugging unnecessarily at too many heartstrings, it is fresh without trying to be fashionable and it is effortlessly experimental without seeming to try too hard to be clever"
- A&R FACTORY
"This is physical theater. The choreography and staging, though sometimes brutal and violent, is beautiful due to its authenticity and realism. None of the actors hold back. They are fearless."
- SEE DANCE NEWS
"I felt many emotions and this moving performance brought up questions that I didn’t know how to answer. I love when art does that. I feel blessed to have witnessed the artistic experience that Anthony Nikolchev and Gema Galiana took me through in their production..."
ANNETT BONET - THE DANCEPRENEURING STUDIO
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“Beautiful and mesmerizing performances bring a unique physicality to universal themes about human relationships.”
“A beautifully crafted combination of physical theatre, contemporary dance and performance.”
- Everything Theatre.co.uk
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"All The Things You Said… has its audience moving from laughter to pained silence in an instant”
“An absorbing delicacy and simplicity in the way that the epic intertwines with the quotidian.”
- Savannah Whaley for The Londonist
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"Brutal honesty to earnest affection and back...not just a roller coaster ride for the couple, but for the audience too"
"A mix of dance, spoken word and physicality makes this BRILLIANT performance for theatre lovers and those new to dance looking for a great experience
- London's The 411 (435)
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"One of the most interesting and creative performances I’ve seen all year"
- LONDON VS NEWCASTLE
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