Julia Sopher (director) and Clara Rozzi (actor, writer, composer) of Nomad bring their show, Invisible Border, to Voila! Festival this week.
“Invisible walls often rise from language barriers, leaving us feeling like outsiders, trapped in a silent bubble that limits honest human connection. This vibrant interdisciplinary theatre piece invites you on an uplifting adventure with Lola, an artist who will flip this challenge on its head.
Invisible Border is a heartwarming celebration of finding your voice, building bridges with sound, and discovering that the most profound connections often bloom beyond what language alone can express. It’s a testament to the wonder of global kinship!”
Where: Barons Court Theatre
When: 7-8 Nov
Ticket link: https://www.voilafestival.co.uk/events/invisible-border/
Tell me a bit about your show. Where did the idea come from?
Invisible Border follows Lola’s journey as she moves to London, navigating her identity between languages and cultures.
Being French-Argentinian myself, I’ve always felt that sense of being in between — never fully belonging to one place or another.
The show was born from that feeling, from existing “in translation,” being caught in between somewhere.
It’s a very personal piece, a mix of theatre and complex sound design (composing, soundscape, and live music being display).
I wanted to create something that captures the sound of to a new city before you can speak its language: the sounds, the rhythm, the confusion, the beauty of someplace new to explore.
It’s about how we connect beyond words, and how identity can be built through sound, memories, and emotions and not solely driven by your native tongue.
Why should audiences choose your show? How would you sell it in one sentence?
Because Invisible Border speaks to anyone who’s ever felt foreign: in a new country; felt strange in their own skin; or even within their own language after making the transaction. It’s an immersive, intimate journey through sound, memory, and belonging.
In one sentence:
A poetic and sensory journey about finding your voice when words no longer make sense.
What does being part of the Voila! Festival mean to you?
I feel incredibly grateful to be part of the Voila! Festival. It’s one of the few platforms that truly celebrates multilingual and multicultural voices. And that’s exactly what Invisible Border is about.
Being surrounded by artists who are telling stories across borders and languages feels like finding my community. The festival allows a show like mine, full of creativity, sound, and linguistic hybridity, to exist and be celebrated.
It’s also a moment to connect with audiences who are open to different forms of storytelling. People who understand that language is not a barrier, but a bridge.
How did you make a start in the industry?
I started with music when I was very young; singing at the Maîtrise de Radio France, the national children’s choir of France.
It was a very demanding environment; we represented the country, so there was no space for mistakes. It taught me discipline, teamwork, and respect for the stage.
But deep down, I always wanted to be an actor. Later, I studied at LAMDA, which opened my world to performance in English and international theatre-making.
Since then, I’ve worked on a range of projects across film and theatre, between France and the UK. That cross-cultural space, between two languages, two ways of seeing the world, continues to inspire everything I create.
What’s next for the show?
After Voila!, I’d love to keep developing Invisible Border: exploring new venues, collaborating with other creatives, and expanding the sound and visual layers of the piece.
Each performance teaches me something new about the story and the audience’s relationship to it. Perhaps, it could cross few borders in itself or with a digital adaptation of it… Stay tuned.