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A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE
Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 3m
By Dead Centre and Zoë McWhinneyAdapted 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.
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.
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.
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
Vasenka, a fictional town
“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
Deaf Republic | What is it about?
Deaf Republic | Inside rehearsals