Deaf Republic
A deaf boy is killed for disobeying orders he couldn’t hear. The next day, the whole town wakes up deaf.
World-renowned theatre company Dead Centre make their Royal Court debut, collaborating with Sign Language poet Zoë McWhinney, with Deaf Republic from Friday 29 August until Saturday 13 September 2025. 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 deaf boy is killed in occupied territory for disobeying orders he couldn’t hear. The next day, the whole town wakes up deaf, and it becomes unclear if this is a radical act of protest or the supernatural at play.
Adapted from the poetry book by Ilya Kaminsky, Deaf Republic is an epic modern fable of war, humanity and collective resistance.
‘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.
Venue details
- Address:
- ROYAL COURT THEATRE
- Sloane Square
- London
- SW1W 8AS