She plunges herself into the case of a mysterious German woman, who arrives at the Hotel with no luggage. Investigating who the German woman is, why did she run into the desert and what is she running from, the woman pieces together the fragments of a crime she may or may not have committed and follows the German woman into the desert.  

At the Sans Hotel is a theatrical performance that moves from sadness to humour, cruelty to tenderness, daylight to twilight. It's a meditation on the terror of loneliness confusion, and indecision. The work originates from the creator's fascination with the Cornelia Rau case that first appeared in the news in 2004: "I wasn't as interested in the issues and political ramifications of the situation as I was about her. I was interested in the story of a woman who was a stranger or foreigner to herself and was lost in a desert, wanting to be rescued. In one newspaper article, the reporter wrote she arrived at a Hotel in the middle of the desert with no money, no identification and no bag. In 2006, colliding with my own impending personal nightmare, I began thinking about a work, using her story as the impetus."

Nicola Gunn is forging a reputation as a maker of compelling and virtuosic theatre, making tragic and harrowing experiences really, quite funny. The inherent themes of her work - complexities of everyday life, its trivialities and its mysteries - confront the audience with the way she has responded uniquely to the experience of loss, sadness, frustration and confusion to show we are one, we are the same.

"I would watch Nicola Gunn shell peas." THE AGE

"A breathtaking blend of satire and surrealism as if a Magritte painting had shuddered to life... Unforgettable theatre." TIMES COLONIST

Created & Designed by:
Nicola Gunn, Gwen Holmberg-Gilchrist & Rebecca Etchell

Sound Designed by:
Luke Paulding

Production Managed by:
Rebecca Etchell