Deaf Republic By Dead Centre and Zoë McWhinney. Adapted from the book by Ilya Kaminsky.

Synopsis

A gunshot in occupied territory. A deaf boy is killed for disobeying orders he couldn’t hear. The next day, the whole town wakes up deaf.  

Adapted from the poems of Ukrainian-American author Ilya Kaminsky, Deaf Republic is an epic modern fable of war, humanity and collective resistance.  

World-renowned theatre company Dead Centre make their Royal Court debut, collaborating with Sign Language poet Zoë McWhinney. Told through a mix of spoken English, British Sign Language (BSL), creative captioning and silence, Deaf Republic brings together an ensemble of deaf and hearing actors, aerial performers, puppetry, live cinema and poetry.

‘A contemporary epic… captures the sweep of history and the devastation of war’ New York Times on Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic
‘A pure theatrical thrill-ride… wildly playful’ The Guardian on Chekhov’s First Play by Dead Centre

A Royal Court Theatre and Dead Centre co-production, in association with Dublin Theatre Festival and Complicité. Funded by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon with creative production support from field:arts and ZooCo. London performances supported by Culture Ireland. 

Supported by the T.S. Eliot Foundation.

Telegraph