A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Deaf Republic

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 3m

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

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.

Deaf Republic

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

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.

History

Deaf Republic was presented at the Royal Court Theatre from 29 August to 13 September 2025 in association with Dublin Theatre Festival 2025 and Complicité.

Performing Groups

SIGNER/ALFONSO

WORDER/SONYA

MOMMA GALYA – head of the Puppet theatre

KATE – one of Galya’s puppeteers

LISA – one of Galya’s puppeteers

PAVEL – one of the townspeople

SOLDIER


PUPPETS

PETYA – a deaf boy

ANUSHKA – child of Sonya and Alfonso

  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting

    Vasenka, a fictional town

  • Duration 105 Minutes

Media

“A beautiful story of resilience.” – London Theatre

“An unsettling, enthralling mix of puppetry, circus, and sign language.” – The Independent


“Multilayered” – LondonTheatre1


“Exceptional” – The Reviews Hub


“Powerful and pertinent.” – The Stage


“Sign language and puppetry render the Ukraine war enchantingly strange and newly shocking'.” – The Telegraph


“A ravishing and unnerving play about deafness, occupation, resistance, puppets and things that hover outside the edge of comprehension.” – Time Out

Videos

  • Deaf Republic | What is it about? youtube thumbnail

    Deaf Republic | What is it about?

  • Deaf Republic | Inside rehearsals youtube thumbnail

    Deaf Republic | Inside rehearsals

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Dead Centre

Dead Centre
Dead Centre's work includes: Souvenir (Dublin Fringe 2012) which toured to London, New York, Brisbane and Seoul; LIPPY (Dublin Fringe 2013) which toured internationally including to Berlin, New York, Traverse in Edinburgh and the Young Vic London, and won multiple awards incl ...
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